Alternate Worlds
by Awesomenorwegian
Summary: In a different world, Esdeath tracks down a member of Night Raid's local team to Tatsumi's village three days before he was supposed to leave. Trapped in the clutches of the Queen of Ice, will he ever be able to find his true destiny? Betareading done by Pyromania101.
1. Upon the white fields

The assassin sank in the snow as the blizzard whirled around him. Looking down, he saw blood flow between the fingers covering the wound on his chest, dripping down onto the snow like paint on an empty canvas. His strength was used up, and his teigu useless. In a matter of hours, the Ice Queen and her minions would catch up to him, and then it would be all over.

_They're all dead, and it's my fault. _

Falling down on his knees, he let go, and the sleek armor surrounding him disappeared like fog in the sun, leaving nothing but a small bracelet on his right arm. His vision was darknening, his limbs getting number for every passing second, and every breath he took was a knife in his lunges, but he would be damned if he'd let that murderess and her dogs have it. He would destroy it himself before he let that happen… but how?

Squinting through the twirling wind, he noticed several lights in the distance. A village.

_A forge and a fire is all I need, _he thought as he struggled to get back on his feet. _God, please let there be a forge there. _Stumbling like a drunk, with a deadly sleepiness creeping up his legs, the assassin faced his final challenge with a sneer on his face.

XXXXX

Tatsumi looked on with worry as the rations of the day were handed out to the villagers. His village had never been affluent, but these last few years, he'd watched as his friends and neighbors had been forced to live increasingly destitute lives. It was like the chief had said: if things didn't change for the better soon, the village would die, and its inhabitants with it.

_And that's where I come in, _he thought as he balled his right hand into a fist. In three days' time, he would leave this place for the imperial capital. With his skills, he'd make a killing in the army for sure, and then the village's past tribulations would be nothing but a memory. Just three days more…

"Yo!" a cheerful voice hooted behind him, and before he could react, someone slapped him across the head. Looking up, he saw that Ieyasu had finally crawled out of his warm house to make sure he got his daily mouthful of dried muskox beef. "What's up, Tatsumi? You look like you haven't crapped in a week!"

Tatsumi aimed a half-hearted punch at his best friend's knee, but the brown-haired teenager evaded it with ease. However, he got his just desserts when he slipped on an icy spot on the wall Tatsumi was sitting on, falling face-first into a pile of sooty snow.

As Tatsumi debated whether to help his flailing friend, he saw Sayo separate herself from the crowd of villagers huddled together in the middle of the marketplace. Tatsumi's heart skipped a beat as she gave him a brief smile, before sitting down beside him, completely ignoring Ieyasu's muffled cries.

"Three days to go," she said, adjusting the flower accessory in her hair. "You ready?"

"I was born ready," Tatsumi grinned. Truth be told, he was excited as hell. His entire life, he'd feasted on the tales of the wandering merchants that sometimes found their way to this little corner of the empire. He was practically _dying _to get going, and had been ever since the chief had selected him along with Sayo and Ieyasu. The fact that they'd be travelling with him was the cherry on top of the roasted warthog. Before he could continue the conversation, however, something icy and wet was suddenly between his skin and woolen shirt, and judging by the intensity of Sayo's screaming, she was in the same predicament.

Digging the snow out from under their cloths, they turned to see a grinning Ieyasu busy retreating to a safe distance while juggling four snowballs. After his little dip in the soot, he looked very much like a chimney sweep.

"Not so funny when it's your own neck, eh!?" he called.

Tatsumi and Sayo exchanged a single look.

"Double team?" Tatsumi proposed.

"Double team," Sayo agreed solemnly, and they both got up in unison.

Sensing the potency of their combined killer intent, Ieyasu's grin faltered. "C'mon guys it was just a joooooooooooaaaaaaaaa_shiiiiiiiiiiiitttt!" _he yelled as they shot forward, fanning out like wolves on the hunt. Dropping the snowballs, Ieyasu fled down the road, before darting out into the snow-covered fields. To his credit, he nearly got halfway across before Tatsumi tackled his legs. What followed was a concert of the most unmanly screams imaginable as Tatsumi and Sayo continued the village's age-old tradition of stuffing as much snow as possible into the cloths of the troublemaker and stripping the unlucky fool down to his underwear, before throwing him into the nearest snowdrift.

"YAAAAAAHHHH!" Ieyasu's bellowed, jumping some five feet into the air.

"You'd think he'd be used to this by now," Sayo mused as their violated friend dressed himself while shuddering like a guitar string. "I guess some people never learn."

"Indeed," Tatsumi responded ponderingly.

"Sh-sh-sh-shut u-up!" Ieyasu hissed, his wrath quickly vaporizing whatever snow he'd missed. "I-I w-will hav-e m-my r-rev-veng-e…"

"Before or after you wash that shit off of your face?" Sayo inquired, gesturing at the soot still staining his angry face, causing Tatsumi to nearly fall over with laughter.

"O-O-oh y-yeah?" Ieyasu stuttered as threateningly as he could. "J-just wait u-until…" his voice faltered as his eyes zeroed in on something behind them. "O-oh shit…"

Tatsumi and Sayo whirled around to see a figure draw nearer through the whirling snowflakes. Tatsumi immediately drew his weapon, a short sword he carried no matter where he went, the blade that had ended more than a few danger beasts.

The wind slowed a little, revealing the figure to them in all its bloody grandeur. Behind him, Tatsumi heard Sayo gasp.

The man was dressed in simple, woolen cloths, was about a head taller than Tatsumi, athletically built, and bald. The thing about him that made Tatsumi's eyes widen and his hand fall was the gaping wound on the side of the man's chest. Half as big as one of Tatsumi's hands, it was a gateway for the man's blood to pour out at an inexorable rate.

The man faltered, and without thinking, Tatsmui sheathed his sword and moved forward to catch the stranger as he fell forward.

Clutching the fabric of Tatsumi's shirt as if he was blind, the man brought his mouth as close to the boy's ear as he could. "Take this," he whispered, and Tatsumi felt something small, hard and metallic being pressed into his hands.

"Don't… let them… have it..."

What little strength the man's grip had possessed faded away. For a moment, all Tatsumi could do was standing there, holding the dead body. Then, he heard Sayo speak, and the spell was broken.

"Is… is he…?"

Getting down on one knee, Tatsumi put a finger where the man's pulse should have been. Nothing.

"Yeah," Tatsumi said, his voice strangely calm. "There's nothing we can do for him now… but…" He looked over the white fields before them, barely ale to see the mountains that had always guarded the village. "Whoever did this… I think they're coming here."

XXXXX

Esdeath spotted the bloodstain long before any of her three companions did, driving the spurs into the sides of her horse. It marked the place where the assassin's strength had finally ended, as she could see a fine trail of footmarks not yet erased by the falling snow run down the hill. From this point on, tracking him would be child's play.

_He sat on his knees there, _she thought, studying a rectangular spot in the snow, before moving her gaze back to the bloodstain.

"Tch," she voiced, her eyes narrowing with disappointment.

"Is something wrong, Esdeath-sama?" River inquired, bringing his horse up besides hers.

"The wound I inflicted on the assassin seem to have been fatal," she said, lowering the brim of her hat. "He'll be long dead by the time we catch up with him. I'll have to wait to practice my newest torture techniques."

"Does that mean I can add his face to my collection when we find him?" Nyau asked cheerfully, pulling his horse up on her other side.

"Yes, it does," Esdeath said, smiling wryly. Somehow, this effeminate boy always had a way of cheering her up.

Looking over the vale before them, she let her enormous willpower reach out to the ice particles in the storm around them, forcing them to stop. In a matter of seconds, the blizzard had died down to nothingness.

"As expected of Esdeath-sama," she heard Daidara grunt somewhere behind her.

"There," she said, pointing at the small village at the other end of the vale. "That is where we'll find him."

"And the villagers?" River inquired.

"If they give us no trouble, nothing happens to them," she said while caressing the hilt of her rapier, a sadistic smile forming on her pale lips. "Let's all pray they do."

XXXXX

The silence was heavy in the chief's house as Tatsumi finished his story. He, Sayo and Ieyasu were the only youngsters present. Besides the men with fighting experience, every villager had been ordered to return to their houses and lock the doors.

"This is most worrisome indeed," the chief muttered, looking down at the corpse of the mysterious stranger. "We can only assume that bandits, or maybe something even worse, are on their way here right now." He looked at Tatsumi. "You're sure that's all he said?"

"Yes, chief," Tatsumi said, running his thumb over the metal bracelet the stranger had given him. "'Don't let them have it…' that's all he told me."

"It's never good to get involved with the madness of the outside world," the chief said, stroking his long, pointy beard. "Most of all, I'd like you to throw that thing into the nearest well, but that might not be an option." Rising to his feet, the chief laid his hand on the hilt of his sword, the only one in the village besides Tatsumi's. The rest of the men were armed with axes, spears and bows. "Everyone, get ready!" the chief shouted. "We might have to fight for our lives soon."

Funny enough, the lookout chose that exact moment to burst through the door, waving his arms like a windmill. "The storm suddenly died down! Four riders are approaching the village!"

"Everyone with a bow, get up on a roof!" the chief barked. Sayo gave Tatsumi a quick nod before vanishing with the other archers. "The rest of you, follow me!"

The chief marched out onto the marketplace that marked the center of the village, Tatsumi and the rest following close behind. Forming a half circle with the chief in the center, they waited.

"Tatsumi," the chief said, and the boy took a step forward.

"Yeah?"

"My eyes are not as good as they once were. Tell me what you see."

"As Kedric said, four riders," Tatsumi said, squinting into the distance. "I think… the one riding in front is a woman."

"Interesting," the chief muttered.

Before long, the riders were close enough for Tatsumi to get a good look. The one at the front was indeed a woman, dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Army. Her three companions all wore a strange black uniform he didn't recognize. One was one of the largest men Tatsumi had ever seen, a huge battleax hanging across his back. Another was just a boy, even smaller than Tatsumi. The third one looked to be in his mid-forties, his hair heavy with silver.

The group stopped galloping a few dozen meters from the assembled villagers, the trio halting completely while the woman continued forward in a light trot. A moment before she would have hit the chief, she pulled the reins back, making the white stallion rear back. Beside him, Tatsumi felt Ieyasu tense up, gripping his dual knives tightly. He couldn't blame him. The bracelet in his left hand felt heavy as a brick right now.

"I am General Esdeath of the Imperial Army!" the woman proclaimed, her voice so powerful that Tatsumi was sure every person in the village must have heard it. "I've come here hunting a dangerous fugitive and traitor to the empire, and I have the authority to do _whatever _I deem necessary to bring him to justice." An almost invisible smile appeared on the woman's lips, and Tatsumi felt a shudder run down his spine. He couldn't explain why, but somehow, this woman scared him more than any danger beast he'd hunted. If he didn't know better he'd say she _was _a danger beast.

The chief stepped forward. If he felt intimidated by the woman, he did not show it. "A wounded man stumbled into the village an hour ago, general-sama. He died before anything could be done for him."

"Where is he?" the woman demanded, her blue gaze wandering between the villagers. Tatsumi wanted to look away when it turned to him, but he forced himself to glare back at the woman until she lost interest in him.

"In there," the chief said, pointing at his house with his thumb.

The general turned around to look at her companions. "Nyau, Daidara!" she called, and immediately, the blonde boy and the ax-guy jumped down from their steeds and came to their mistress's side.

"Go check," she ordered.

"Yes, Esdeath-sama," the two of them said in unison, and the villagers stepped aside to let them through. Freaked out by the black tail sticking out from the small of the boy's back, Tatsumi gripped his sword involuntarily. At once, the general's eyes were on him again, and he placed his hand as far away from the hilt of his sword as he could. Glancing down at the bracelet in his other hand, the dying man's final words resounded in his mind.

_Don't let them have it…_

"General-sama, might I ask what kind of criminal would be important enough for someone of your stature to personally hunt him?" the chief inquired.

"A dangerous one," the general grinned, playing with the hilt of her slender sword. "Relatively so, anyway. Tell me, chief, what kinds of danger beasts roam the mountains surrounding us? I'm not familiar with these lands."

"The Mountain Bear is the only danger beast around these parts," the chief said. "It's one mean monster though."

"Mountain Bear," the general said, sounding like she was talking about some gourmet meal she was looking forward to. "You hunt these creatures?"

"I'm too old for those kinds of shenanigans," the chief grunted, placing a calloused hand on Tatsumi's shoulder. "Tatsumi is the village's finest hunter; he's brought back more pelts than any man in living memory."

The general's icy gaze drilled into him again, making Tatsumi wish the chief would shut his trap. Before further words could be spoken, though, the blonde and the ax-man returned, said ax-man having laid the corpse across his shoulder.

"It's definitely him, Esdeath-sama," the shota said cheerfully. "The teigu isn't on him, though."

The general looked at the chief, and it was clear the friendly atmosphere they'd just had was gone, blown away like snow in the wind.

"I can see this is not a particularly affluent place," she commented, her hand hovering over the hilt of her sword. "I don't suppose you took something from the criminal, thinking you could sell it later?"

The chief looked at Tatsumi from the corner of his eye.

_Don't let them have it…_

"Do you mean this?" Tatsumi said, holding up the bracelet for all to see.

The general elegantly swung her right leg over the saddle, before jumping down onto the snowy ground. "That is Imperial property," she said, reaching a pale hand towards him, palm up. "Give it here… _now_."

_Fuck it, it's not like it has anything to do with me, _Tatsumi thought, ignoring the ghostly warnings from the dead stranger suddenly welling up in his head as he walked towards the general. His village could not afford to make an enemy of an Imperial officer; it was as simple as that. However, as he reached out to place the bracelet in the general's hand, something inexplicable happened.

Without warning, the bracelet first opened, twisted itself around his wrist, and then locked itself in place.

"What the hell!?" Tatsumi exclaimed, taking a step back as he tried to pull it off his wrist, to no avail. No matter how hard he pulled, it wouldn't come off.

"Well," the general said slowly, "I did not expect that." In a quick, fluid motion, she drew her rapier.

Tatsumi retreated another step, holding his hands up. Behind him, he heard several villagers shouting in alarm, rustling with their weapons.

"I didn't do anything!" he protested as the blue-haired woman stalked towards him. "I have no idea what just happened!"

"I believe you," she said, almost kindly. Then, without another word, she swiped forward with her rapier so quickly Tatsumi could barely follow it with his eyes. He felt a sharp pain in his stomach, a girl (_Sayo!_) screamed, and then warm liquid was running down the front of his pants.

Total chaos followed. On the roofs around them, villagers with bows sprung out of hiding, launching their arrows at the imperials. On the ground, the villagers surged forward with a roaring Ieyasu in the lead, but before they could reach Tatsumi, the ax-man and the blonde jumped between them, driving them back with uncanny speed and strength. In front of him, Tatsumi saw the general lazily dodge arrow after arrow while shouting an order to her grey-haired subordinate, who immediately spurred his horse towards the closest building. All of this happened in a matter of seconds.

Evading yet another arrow like it was nothing, the general stepped so close Tatsumi could have reached out and touched her, if his hands hadn't been busy making sure he didn't bleed out. He looked up at her, she looked down at him, and suddenly, there was no village, no fighting, and no sounds.

It was only him and her.

"The moment of truth," Esdeath grinned, raising the rapier until the tip pointed right at Tatsumi's throat. Quick as a viper, she thrust forward.

For Tatsumi, it was as if everything was suddenly moving with a snail's pace. As he saw the general's blade descend, he did as the sword master he'd buried behind the forge had drilled him to do time and time again: he threw his head to the side. There was a flash of light, the bracelet on his wrist burned like fire, his limbs moved on their own… and then Tatsumi was on the other end of the marketplace, no longer feeling either the cold, nor the pain in his stomach. Looking down at his hands, his jaw dropped.

Out of nowhere, a sleek, greyish armor had appeared, and now it was covering him from head to toe, except it barely felt like he was wearing anything at all. It followed the contours of his body so neatly that it might have been just another layer of skin. Flexing his arms, they felt no heavier than they would've been if they were naked. On the contrary, they felt _lighter. _Lighter, faster and stronger.

"HAH!" a triumphant voice shouted, somehow reaching Tatsumi's ears even inside the armor. Looking up, he saw that all fighting had stopped. Everyone was looking at him with a mixture of awe, confusion and shock, with the exception of General Esdeath, who was walking towards him while… clapping?

"Full compatibility, what are the odds?" she asked nobody in particular, her eyes gleaming blue. "This must be fate!"

"What… what did you do to me?" Tatsumi demanded, hearing how the armor distorted his voice, making it sound darker.

"Awakened your hidden potential, evidently," the general said. "Only one man in a thousand is compatible with a teigu, and only one in a million can use it to its full potential, and as far as I can see, you belong to the latter category."

"I… don't understand," Tatsumi said. Just what the hell was going on? Teigu? Potential!?

"You will," the general promised, holding out her hand once again. "Under my guidance, you will become a warrior feared throughout the empire. Join me, Tatsumi and we will unlock all of your hidden potential together!"

Tatsumi almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. A general of the empire, offering to be his patron, just like that? When he thought about it, wasn't that exactly what he'd had in mind when the chief first gave him permission to leave for the capital? In a year, he could have enough money to keep the village safe for years to come.

But… before his inner eye, he saw the general's face again, as it had looked when she was about to kill him. If he had ever seen something that could be described as evil, that was it. Furthermore, he saw his fellow villagers, neighbors and friends, looking bloody and beaten after the pummeling the general's minions had given them. Finally, he saw Sayo look down at him from the roof above, a look so pure and warm compared to the icy general's that it was like he was being tempted by an angel and a devil.

"I wanted to go to the capital and join the army to get money for this village," he finally said, and saw how the general responded by taking an eager step forward. "I still want to do it… but not with you."

The general, Esdeath, let her hand fall. "I'm sorry you feel that way," she said sadly. "It's a shame I can't force you."

Sensing what was coming, Tatsumi tensed up.

"Oh wait!" Esdeath exclaimed, slapping her forehead in an act of mock remembrance. "_Of course _I can force you!"

Like a stone from a catapult, Esdeath shot forward, and even with his newfound speed, Tatsumi barely evaded getting knocked out cold. Moving so fast it felt like teleportation, he dodged to the side, before racing towards his sword, which he'd dropped on the ground when the armor manifested. In a single motion, he rolled forward, grabbed it, and then propelled himself towards the blonde and the ax-man, who were once again engaging the villagers. Before he could reach them though, the snow shifted under his feet, as if alive, throwing him off balance. A shadow fell across his face, and once again he barely evaded Esdeath's fist.

"Excellent," she said as rose up, paying now mind to the crater she'd just created with her punch. "You've been using the teigu for a minute, and you're already more proficient than its previous owner."

"Yeah? Maybe you should give up then!?" Tatsumi shouted, trying to sound a lot more confident than he felt. What on God's green earth was this woman!? The snow just now… he was sure she'd _manipulated_ it somehow.

"Getting cocky, are we?" Esdeath grinned. "Then perhaps it's time for me to humble you a little… **GRAUHORN!**"

Out of nowhere, an icicle the size of rowboat came flying like a projectile. Tatsumi tried to dodge, but it still grazed his side enough to send him tumbling through the snow. Before he could collect himself, Esdeath was upon him, her fist digging into his chest like a hammer on a nail. He tried to swipe at her with his sword, only for her to slap the blade away like a fly. Next, she grabbed the front of his helmet, ripping it off with terrifying strength. He got one good look at her feral grin with his own eyes, before a kick to the stomach sent him crashing into the closest house.

"You're skilled," Esdeath said as she walked towards him, "but horribly inexperienced. Have you ever even killed another person?"

"No," Tatsumi grunted. With his armor breached, his limbs didn't feel all that light anymore.

"You will soon," Esdeath promised, "but not today, it seems."

"We'll see," Tatsumi growled. Summoning every last bit of strength remaining in his body and channeling it into the armor, he readied himself for the final attack. It was either all or nothing now.

A harsh laugh erupted from Esdeath's mouth. "You're ten years too early to beat m-"

Kicking back against the ground, Tatsumi flew forward with the speed of a bullet in flight, willing himself to go faster than ever before. Holding his sword like a lance, he aimed for Esdeath's widening eyes, his lips stretching into a grin of his own as he felt the taste of victory on his lips.

XXXXX

Her opponent's inexperience alone saved Esdeath. A moment before the boy attacked, she saw his intent clear in his eyes, allowing her to move first. Throwing her head to the side, she evaded the desperate charge with a hair's breadth, before finishing the fight by driving her elbow into the boy's ribcage, sending him flying again. His momentum was so great that he went right through the house at the opposite end of the marketplace, going down like a meteorite in the field on the other side.

Looking around, she saw that her subordinates had subdued the villagers. The archers on the rooftops had been brought down by River, and now they were all huddled together in a group, safe under the spell of Nyau's flute. She was pleased to see that her pets had been smart enough to refrain from inflicting any fatal wounds. Dead, they were useless as leverage.

Suddenly, River was by her side. "Esdeath-sama, you're bleeding!"

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. "What are you talking about!? I never bleed."

Without a word, River used his Teigu to levitate some water from a leather pouch, manipulating it until it had the shape of a flat sphere. Studying her face in the reflection, Esdeath's eyes widened, and she quickly dragged a finger across the thin, red stripe on her cheek. Holding it up in front of her, a single drop of crimson blood hung from her nail. Her blood.

"I can barely remember the last time someone scratched me…" she said, almost breathless. She studied it for a moment, marveling at the sight, before slowly licking it up. The taste gave her a deliciously perverse kind of pleasure.

"River… I think I'm in love."

XXXXX

His head spinning, Tatsumi tried to get to his feet, without success. The armor was gone, leaving only the bracelet behind, and without its protection, he could feel the pain and the cold more than ever before. He tried calling for someone, anyone, but all he managed was a hoarse cough. His mouth tasted like iron and salt.

A familiar shadow fell across him once again, and he looked up to see Esdeath towering over him.

"Awake already?" she said, sounding pleased. "Your head must be harder than the rock you just broke."

"Go… to… hell," Tatsumi managed.

"All in due time," Esdeath chuckled. "But before that…" She made a gesture to the side, and Tatsumi's eyes followed.

On their knees in the snow, the chief, Ieyasu and Sayo were sitting in a semicircle, looking like they were asleep, even though their eyes were wide open. Esdeath's three subordinates were standing behind them, looking more than ready to crush a few skulls.

"It has been fun, but now, playtime's over," Esdeath said, reaching out to him for the third time. "Come with me, or they die. Try to run from me, and every last villager dies. Betray me, and I will bury this place and its inhabitants so deeply that nobody will ever know it even existed."

A scratch as long and thick as one of his hairs… that was all he had accomplished with that final attack. There was no way he could beat this woman, no way in hell. Lowering his head in submission, he placed his hand on hers.

"You win."

If he'd raised his gaze at that moment, the look in her eyes would have scared him more than anything else conceivable. More than rage, lust, or even hate would that look of pure, unfeigned adoration in her pale, blue eyes have terrified him beyond belief.

"Of course I do."


	2. Innocence lost

He never had the chance to say goodbye. When Sayo, Ieyasu and the rest of the villagers had recovered from the spell of the flute, Tatsumi was already half a mile away, riding one of the village's few horses, now confiscated by Esdeath. He stared back at his home for as long as he could, imagining he could see Sayo and Ieyasu staring back at him, until it was finally gone behind a hill. If it hadn't been for the fact he'd been preparing to leave for weeks, he might've shed a tear.

Esdeath made them press the horses hard for the rest of the day, as if she wanted to create as much as a distance between them and the village as possible, not stopping until it was so dark that continuing would have put the horses at risk of injury. Thus far, Tatsumi had kept his head down and avoided looking anyone in the eye, especially the shota. As if the goddamn devil tail hadn't been enough, he could've sworn he saw the little freak put the cut-off _face _in a pouch, while grinning like a schoolgirl.

"We'll camp here for tonight," Esdeath finally said, as they reached an abandoned outpost. It consisted of two buildings: a hut that looked about ready to retire, and a shack so skewed it looked like something enormous had crashed into it without breaking it somehow. "River, fix that thing we talked about. Daidara, get us some firewood. Nyau, you prepare the food."

The three subordinates got to work without a word, leaving Tatsumi alone with the icy general. Glancing at her from the corner of his eye, he saw her dismount from her horse and start rummaging through her saddlebags. Why wasn't she ordering him around too?

"Tatsumi, come here."

_Here we go, _he thought, sliding off his horse with some difficulty (goddamn, his body hurt!), before dragging his feet to his new master. Without looking at him, she waved her hand, and a stool of ice rose up from the ground.

"Sit."

Wondering just what kind of freak show he'd gotten caught up in, Tatsumi did as he was told. He was dying to know just what the bracelet thing on his hand really was, as well as the secret behind the general's powers, but for now, shutting the hell up and just listening seemed like the best course of action.

"Strip," Esdeath said, not even turning around.

"HELL NO!" he roared, jumping up as if his butt was on fire. She… she couldn't possibly want to… do _that _thing?

"Do it."

"NO!"

"Don't make this harder than it needs to be."

"NO!"

"You're really not going to listen?"

"NO… YES!"

Esdeath turned around, holding a white cloth. "I won't ask again, Tatsumi," she said. "Take off your shirt."

_She's going to gag me!? _The hair on his neck standing up, Tatsumi retreated behind his horse. There was no way he was going to be raped by this woman, or whatever the hell she had in mind. She'd have to march him back to the village and put her hands around Sayo's throat before he let that happen.

Esdeath drew her rapier, before using it to whack the horse's rump, causing it to neigh hysterically and run away. Tatsumi's hand went for his own sword, finding nothing but thin air behind his back. _Oh yeah, that River guy took it… SHIT!_

Taking a step forward, Esdeath performed a series of slashes so fast Tatsumi couldn't even follow. A second later, his upper body cloths disintegrated into a cloud of ripped fabric.

"_Hyyaahhh!" _he yelled, raising his arms to cover himself like maiden caught skinny-dipping, while a small part of his mind was _very _grateful for the fact that all of Esdeath's subordinates had disappeared out of sight.

"Hmm, not bad…" Esdeath mused, putting her free hand beneath her chin as she studied his musculature. "Give it a few more years and… yes, not bad." Sheathing the rapier, she pointed at the ice-stool with her thumb. "Now, if you want to keep those pants, I suggest you sit down. I need to take a look at your injuries to make sure you've been dealt no lasting damage."

Tatsumi blinked. "That's what this is about?"

"Of course," Esdeath said with a frown. "I can't have crippled subordinates around. What did you think I was…?" Her voice trailed off as realization dawned on her face, and the corner of her lips crept up to form a grin that was quite possibly the scariest thing Tatsumi had ever seen. "Tatsumi… don't tell me you thought I was going to make you do… _that _thing?"

"No!" Tatsumi immediately denied, feeling blood rush to his face, but it was all too clear Esdeath was seeing right through him. First forcibly enlisted, now humiliated. This was turning out to be a great day.

Thanks to the armor, the wound on his stomach had been healed somehow, and the thrashing he'd received from Esdeath had resulted in little more than a few bruises and cuts, which the general quickly cleaned up. Tatsumi still felt she used way more time than she needed though, as if she was using this as an excuse to touch him, but that couldn't possibly be the case. Truth be told, he was kind of shocked she would attend to him personally, rather than letting her subordinates do it.

_It's some kind of trick to win my loyalty, _he decided as Esdeath finally threw away the cloth she's used to clean his skin. _I won't be fooled though… damn, it's cold. _

The grey-haired man, River, was the first of Esdeath's minions to return, and due to the winter cold, Tatsumi was almost grateful when the man handed him a uniform identical to his own, only in Tatsumi's size. It was warm too, as if it had just been held over an open fire or something.

"Using the power of teigu to shrink cloths," Esdeath commented as Tatsumi hurriedly dressed himself. "Your ingenuity never ceases to amaze me, River."

"Thank you, Esdeath-sama," River said, bowing.

_Bootlicker, _Tatsumi thought sullenly.

XXXXX

The ax-guy, Daidara, had made a fire inside the hut, knocking a hole in the roof to let the smoke out. The shota, Nyau, was busy frying a deer he'd apparently caught by charming it with his flute.

"Hey new guy, want a taste?" the blond boy asked cheerfully, offering him a leg. Considering he'd not eaten in half a day, Tatsumi was in no position to decline the offer, accepting it with a curt nod.

"My army is camped a week's ride from here," Esdeath explained, sitting down beside him. "We were on our way to wage war against the northern kingdom when assassins tried to take my life. The previous owner of this," she tapped the bracelet, "was the leader. We hunted him for days before we caught up with him south of your village."

Unable to withhold his curiosity anymore, Tatsumi held the bracelet up. "What is this thing? You called it a teigu – am I supposed to know what that means?"

"So the first Emperor and his achievements have already been forgotten in these parts, huh?" River mused. "That's to be expected, I suppose. It's a relic of a time long past, ancient weapons created by powers that have long since been lost. Originally, there were forty-eight of them, but half of them were destroyed during the great civil war five hundred years ago." He pointed at the bracelet. "The one you're wearing right now is 'Hermes'. Aside from granting the wielder increased protection and strength, it is said to allow you to run faster than a speeding bullet. It was made from the heart of a great cat that once roamed the plains of the south."

"Which is why it took us this long to catch up with the assassin," Esdeath finished, breaking one of the deer's thighs in half like a twig.

"Unbelievable," Tatsumi muttered, studying the bracelet with new eyes. _To think that something like this existed. _

"Mine is better though," Daidara grinned, stroking his ax lovingly. "Belvac can cut through anything!"

"Pfft," Nyau snorted. "Scream is _way _better. For every man you can cut down, I can bring a hundred to their knees without even touching them."

"Silence," Esdeath said, prompting the two to shut up immediately. "It's not about the quality of the weapon, as I have told the two of you many times, but the quality of the wielder. Even my Demon's Extract would be useless in the hands of an unworthy wielder." Looking at Tatsumi from the corner of her eye, a smile slowly formed on her face. "You should try to follow the example of our newest member. Even after using it once, he managed to unlock as much in his Teigu as the rest of you have in a span of several years."

Despite himself, Tatsumi couldn't prevent a slight flush from creeping into his cheeks as he was praised. Being the village's strongest, he was used to getting praised for his combat skills, but hearing it from a _general, _that sure was something.

Tatsumi spent the rest of the meal mostly in silence, joining the conversation only when he had to. Just sitting still and listening allowed him to learn much, such as the fact that Esdeath had wanted to campaign against the North for years, as one of its tribes had destroyed hers, apparently. Hearing this filled him with curiosity about the general, but he still kept his mouth shut.

"Alright, I think it's time to rest," Esdeath finally said. "Nyau, you take the first guard. Make sure the horses are fine while you're at it."

"Hai!" the shota cheered, before disappearing out into the cold night, his black uniform functioning as natural camouflage. River and Daidara sat down with their backs against each other, crossing their arms, before falling asleep seemingly instantly. Tatsumi had a feeling a fly buzzing outside was all it would take to wake them though. Turning around, he saw that Esdeath had walked over to the entrance door as well, leaning against the frame. Without making a sound, he got up and walked up behind her.

"Care to join me for a little walk?" Esdeath inquired. "I thought it was high time you and I had a little talk in private."

She led him away from the outpost and into the forest without a word. As they passed the first group of trees, Tatsumi looked back to see Nyau study them curiously from a snow castle he'd built atop the hut. They kept walking for maybe five minutes or so, until the outpost was well out of sight. Finally, Esdeath halted beside a thick trunk.

"If I were you, I would have wanted to hurt me pretty badly right now," Esdeath said without turning. "Harming and threatening to kill your comrades and forcing you to leave the only home you've ever known without so much as a goodbye… I would be very mad."

"That's very perceptive of you," Tatsumi said dryly.

"Still, you yourself said this was your plan all along, wasn't it?" Esdeath continued, turning her head slightly to look at him with a single arctic eye. "I can assure you, there's no place in the Imperial Army where you'd make a better killing than with me. I have the power to make sure your village will be safe and secure for the rest of time."

"You threatened to kill them," Tatsumi accused.

"And I meant it. If you turn your back on me, I will slaughter them without a second's hesitation." Her tone left no room for doubt. What she'd just said was nothing but the God-given truth.

Tatsumi tightened his hands into fists. "Why me? In a city as big as the capital, there has to be plenty of people who could use this thing, right?" He held Hermes up.

Turning around, Esdeath snorted. "Without a doubt, after some searching, I would've found a handful of grunts in the Imperial barracks that would be more or less suited to use it. One or two of them might even measure up to Daidara with a few years of training." She reached out and grabbed his shoulders, pulling him so close their noses almost touched. "Couldn't you feel it when Hermes enveloped you, Tatsumi? You didn't think, you didn't labor, you simply acted, and Hermes obeyed. None of the idiots in the capital could've done that… and that is how I knew."

"Knew what?" Tatsumi asked, narrowing his eyes at the sensation of her warm breath on his face.

Without warning, Esdeath placed her hands around the back of his neck, pulling him forward. Tatsumi opened his mouth to yell out in surprise, but before so much as a sound could leave his mouth, she'd covered it with hers. For a moment, shock kept Tatsumi from moving a muscle, but when he felt her tongue try to prod its way through his shut lips, he pushed back with all his might.

Sharp, white teeth closed around his lower lip as Esdeath used his momentum to whirl him around and push him up against the tree trunk. Pressing one of her underarms against his chest to keep him in place, she pulled her head back, an excited smile pulling her lips wide.

"That you're like me," she breathed, before leaning forward again to let the tip of her tongue slide up his cheek.

"That's… not… true…" he hissed, unable to believe that his first kiss had come and gone, just like that. "I'm _nothing_ like you!"

"Oh really?" Esdeath said as she used one of her knuckles to raise his chin, forcing him to look her in the eye. "Then what is the fire I see burning before me? You're a wolf, Tatsumi, a creature of winter, and as far as I can tell," she placed her lips against his ear, "we were made for each other…"

Against his will, Tatsumi felt his blood converge in his nether region, a desperate crimson creeping into his cheeks. It didn't exactly help that the general's free hand had just disappeared down the **lining **of his new pants.

_This can't be happening!_

"So," Esdeath murmured, her hand travelling along the nakedness of his thigh, "what do you say I give you a taste of what you were imagining earlier?" Her hand changed its course, sliding around to the inner side of his thigh, before slithering upwards, slowly… _slowly. _Steeling himself for that which was about to happen, Tatsumi closed his eyes and thought of Sayo – the melodic sound of her laugh… the fresh smell of her hair…

"My god," Esdeath whispered, pulling back and removing her hands. "Could this day get any better?"

Opening his eyes, Tatsumi saw Esdeath stare at something in the dark. His heart still pounding, he followed her gaze. Between the trees not a hundred meters away, two vast creatures were lumbering along. They looked like bears, but they were both easily as big as the hut the two of them had just left, with paws big enough to knock down any tree.

"Mountain bears," Tatsumi said, grateful for the distraction. "Looks like they haven't seen us."

"That can be fixed," Esdeath grinned, drawing her rapier.

"There's not many of those left, and we don't need the meat!" Tatsumi hissed. "There's no reason to-"

Ignoring him completely, Esdeath conjured forth a man-sized rock of ice, before flinging it at the closest of the danger beasts. It hit with uncanny accuracy, shattering into a million pieces as it broke upon the bear's head. The big creature stumbled two steps forward, shook its head, and then fixed its empty gaze on them.

"Dammit!" Tatsumi snarled. There was no turning back now. "You're aware I don't have my sword, right?"

"No, but you have a teigu," Esdeath laughed, before launching herself up into the air, jumping from branch to branch like a ninja.

Tatsumi started as the two mountain bears roared in unison. As they began to charge towards him with frightening speed, he glanced down at the bracelet on his wrist.

'_Hermes', huh? I guess it's worth a try. _

Over the course of the last few hours, he'd become more and more aware of a… presence of sorts inside the little bracelet. It wasn't like the killer intent that constantly hung around Esdeath like a storm cloud, no, it was more of a warmth of sorts, but veiled somehow. Now, he brought his full focus to the task of ripping that veil away and releasing the power inside, until the dam was broken and he was enveloped in the same cocoon of light as from before.

A surge of energy later, Tatsumi kicked back against the trunk with a metal-clad foot, storming forward with a speed beyond the fastest of horses. The mountain bear at the front lifted an enormous paw to swat him like a fly, and Tatsumi rolled to the side, the trees around him nothing but a dark blur. Without his sword, this was going to be a lot more difficult than normal.

And _a lot _messier.

In the corner of his eye, Tatsumi saw Esdeath jump on top of the second bear, plunging her rapier into its thick flesh. Purposely avoiding inflicting a mortal wound, she wiggled the sleek slim sword around, causing the beast massive pains judging by its frenzied roars. That was all he could register before he was forced to dodge another blow from _his _bear, the ground shaking beneath his feet as the paw came down.

Following Esdeath's example, he slipped behind the beast and jump onto its huge back, using bundles of hair as long as his arms to climb to the top, where he stopped for a moment, unable to believe what he was seeing. Without a thought of her own personal safety, Esdeath was jabbing her rapier into her bear's back again and again, not even attempting to inflict any serious damage. Her only desire seemed to be to drive the beast into a rage without equal. The expression on her face was one of such mad euphoria that Tatsumi found himself captured by the sight. For a moment, she looked more like an animal than the monster beneath her feet.

Noticing his gaze, she met it, and the crimson bloodlust in her eyes subsided until he was once again looking at a human being. "Catch!" she shouted, throwing him an ice-spear she had conjured out of nothing. Tatsumi caught it with ease, and the weight of the weapon in his hands calmed him like the hand of a friend (_Sayo_) on his shoulder. Wasting no time, he ran across the bear's back to its head, where he plunged the spear into the beast's skull without hesitation. Its brain pierced, the light disappeared from the mountain bear's eyes. Its legs buckled, and then the great beast fell like a mountain undone by an earthquake.

Seeing he'd finished his fight, Esdeath somersaulted off of her bear, before banging her rapier against a tree to get its attention once she was back on the ground. Turning its torso-sized head, the mountain bear opened its humongous jaws, spit dripping from its teeth like water off melting icicles. Before it had so much as a chance to turn her into dinner, Esdeath dropped down on one knee, placing her palms on the ground. She screamed a word Tatsumi couldn't hear through the bear's roars as it rose up on its hind legs, as tall as the trees around it, and then a gigantic rock of ice with a tip as sharp as a snake's fang erupted from the earth beneath it. Penetrating the danger beast through the abdomen, it lifted the massive creature into the air, a cataract of blood raining down, but still, the rock grew, until the once imposing creature lay quietly atop a small, white mountain, the echoes of its dying scream having fizzled out into nothing.

"No way," Tatsumi whispered, unable to comprehend that this woman had just created a landmark from nothing. Her powers made his newfound talents look like a joke.

"Oh yes," Esdeath said, turning her head to look at him, eyes gleaming. "But now it's your turn to give _me _a show."

She swung her arm around, sending dozens of knife-sized ice shards his way, forcing him to throw himself to the side. One of them still hit his shoulder though, throwing him off balance and sending him rolling.

"You can do better than that!" Esdeath yelled. "Come on, Tatsumi! _Show me!"_

_Crazy woman, _Tatsumi though as more projectiles zeroed in on him. Kicking back against the ground, he thundered forward. Without the threat of the danger beasts, drawing out Hermes's true power was harder, but Esdeath's pelting helped, and soon, he felt adrenaline being pumped through his veins once again. As he kept pulling the lid off the teigu's power, his speed increased, until he was running circles around Esdeath so quickly the beginnings of a cyclone began to form.

"YES!" Esdeath exclaimed, still throwing her ice at him, but now, they didn't even come close to hitting him. "FASTER!"

_Fuck you! _Kicking back against a tree that broke in the process, he sent himself towards Esdeath like a comet, but amazingly, she was somehow fast enough to conjure a shield of ice in his path. Unable to change course, Tatsumi broke right through it and into Esdeath's waiting arms, his momentum sending them both tumbling through the snow, sending clouds of it into the air. Eventually, they stopped rolling, and Tatsumi found himself on top.

The impact of the shield had torn parts of his helmet away, and with his own eyes, he saw Esdeath stare up at him, her eyes blazing. She slunk a thigh up against his, wrapping her arms around his neck. Tatsumi's breaths came in short, hard spurts, the one-half of his face visible to Esdeath gleaming with sweat. His blood still pumping hot, an unconscious snarl slipped from his lips, and the hand not busy holding his body up tightened around the hem of Esdeath's jacket, his fingers brushing against her right breast. Then the blue-haired woman arched her back, allowing a single moan of excitement to slip from her lips, and suddenly, the red fog cleared from Tatsumi's mind, and he quickly got up, Hermes disappearing like smoke in the wind. A fleeting expression of disappointment flickered across Esdeath's face, before it was replaced by a wry smile.

"I'm… not like you," he repeated, staring at the blood-soaked ground where the mountain bear he'd killed lay. Even if there was no one around to eat its meat, the heart, the teeth, and the claws were still valuable. If he collected them, at least _that _wouldn't go to waste.

"Maybe not," Esdeath admitted, pushing herself up. "But I'm just getting started with you. In the end…" he felt her fingers travel down his arms and her breath against his ear, "… I always get what I want."

As he watched her stroll back towards the outpost, stopping briefly to admire her monstrous work of art, Tatsumi felt the dangerous possibility of what she'd just said, felt it in the wind against his back and the tingling in his skin where she'd touched him. He did not doubt that, in the months to come, his character would be tested more than once. He could only hope he was up to the challenge.

XXXXX

Exhaustion allowed him to sleep soundly that night. When he woke up, the others were already busy eating breakfast, Esdeath handing him some wrapped deer meat without a word. For the rest of the day, as they kept riding eastward, Tatsumi saw her steal glances at him more than once. She gave out the impression of someone trying to solve a puzzle, and with a great deal of worry, Tatsumi realized she was contemplating how to change the very nature of his being.

Conversation with her subordinates didn't grant much comfort either. The big man, Daidara, seemed extremely shallow, lacking any goals in life except the pursuit of greater combat skills. The little blond-haired demon was even worse, giving Tatsumi the chills every time he let out his little boy-laugh. Only the grey-haired senior, who was apparently a former general, gave out an aura of sanity that made Tatsumi feel slightly better. Talking to him, Tatsumi got the impression that the man even had a certain (if twisted) code. Talking to him by the fire that evening (Esdeath and the two others had left to hunt, leaving River behind to be his babysitter), Tatsumi learned the man had once been a general.

"Then how come you're Esdeath's servant now?" Tatsumi inquired, stealing a quick glance at his short sword, which was currently hanging from River's horse. Just when was he supposed to get that back?

"It's not a complicated story," River said, his eyes growing distant. "I was supposed to be executed, and she saved my life."

"Why?"

"She recognized my talents."

"No, why were you supposed to be executed?"

"Ah," the former general sighed. "When the current prime minister rose to power, I refused to sully my office by accepting his bribes. As a result, his cronies deemed me guilty for a crime I didn't commit. Esdeath-sama offered to use her influence to free me in exchange for my allegiance, and I accepted."

"What about the emperor's justice?" Tatsumi inquired, confused.

River barked out a short, harsh laugh. "That disappeared a long time ago. If you want justice these days, you'd be better off looking for a six-legged donkey. As for me, I follow Esdeath-sama because she saved my life, and I adore her for it."

_So much for your code then, _Tatsumi thought bitterly. "When do I get my sword back? You guys made it very clear back at my village that I can't stand up to you anyway, so what's the point?"

"You'll get it back eventually," the middle-aged man responded. "Have some patience."

"Fine," Tatsumi grunted, rubbing his arms. Their ride hadn't brought them any more southward. "What'll happen when we get to the camp?"

"We'll march on the northern capital, and we won't stop until every last tribe has offered us their complete surrender."

"And where do I fit in all this?" he asked, feeling a mixture of excitement and trepidation grow in his stomach.

"Esdeath-sama will find some purpose that will suit your talents," River answered. "But with your speed, I imagine you'll make an excellent scout, for one."

XXXXX

The next five days felt like an eternity to Tatsumi, but finally, they'd crossed their final hill and were looking down upon the largest group of people Tatsumi had ever seen. He'd already learned from River that there were tens of thousands of soldiers in Esdeath's army, but the sheer size of the camp still took his breath away. Like a mole upon a pale cheek, the tents stretched along the plains below them, uniformed men swarming like ants between them. Tatsumi could not imagine a fortress that could withstand a force like this.

"It's good to be home," Esdeath grinned, edging her horse forward.

The four of them received a grand reception as they rode into the camp, the soldiers practically tripping over each other in their eagerness to get a glimpse of their beloved general. Esdeath lifted her right hand and waved like a queen, occasionally answering shouts from individuals she knew personally. Tatsumi, while not exactly unused to being the center of attention, had never been in a crowd of more than a few dozen people, and could not help feeling slightly uneasy. Mostly he kept his head down, but he still noticed the many curious stares he received.

The ride ended in front of a big, white and blue pavilion that undoubtedly belonged to Esdeath. The officers among the herd that had followed them barked that the fun was now over, and reluctantly, the soldiers dispersed. The four of them dismounted, and a couple of servants came forward with hurry to take care of the horses.

"You three," she said, pointing at the Three Beasts, "go make sure the men have not been neglecting to perform their daily drills while we were away. If they have, you know what to do."

The three nodded in unison, before taking their leave, leaving Tatsumi and the general alone.

"Come," Esdeath said as he began to walk, not towards the pavilion as he'd expected, but deeper into the camp. Tatsumi trotted after her until he was a step behind.

"Where are we going?" he asked, rubbing his neck as an especially freezing gust of wind hit him in the face.

"To the place where you'll learn a valuable experience," she answered.

They walked to the place that had to be more or less the center of the encampment. A small fortress of ice, no doubt another one of Esdeath's creations, prided the ground, a thousand icy spikes sticking out from its walls. Esdeath led him through the gate, stopping briefly to accept the bows of its guards. The structure obviously served as a storage center, as Tatsumi saw loads of packed meat and other food placed in holes in the ice. Esdeath's goal though, seemed to be a circular hole in the middle of the courtyard, where a couple of guards sat around a fire. They all jumped to their feet as they saw Esdeath approach them.

"Esdeath-sama!" a man with the markings of a sergeant yelled, throwing himself down on his knees before her.

"How many prisoners are left?" Esdeath inquired, gazing down into the hole. Taking a step closer, Tatsumi saw a group of men huddled together, some standing and some sitting, no doubt in an attempt to keep themselves warm.

"Almost everyone, Esdeath-sama," the sergeant said. "We figured you'd wish to dispose of them yourself upon your return."

"You figured right," Esdeath grinned. "Bring them up."

The guards lowered a rope into the pit, and one by one, the prisoners were all pulled out.

"Who are these men?" Tatsumi asked, seeing that several of them wore uniforms of the empire.

"Deserters," Esdeath said with loathing. "I was planning to impale them, but now that you're here, they can serve a better purpose."

Tatsumi did not like the sound of that at all.

"That's all of them," the sergeant grunted as soon as the final prisoner had been pulled out and had been made to stand in line with the others. Their faces paled as they recognized Esdeath. "Do you want us to strip them?"

"No, I want you to give them your weapons," Esdeath said.

The sergeant and Tatsumi both gaped at her. "Esdeath-sama…?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," Esdeath said, her tone growing dangerously soft.

Looking like someone had just walked over his grave, the sergeant ordered his men to hand over the weapons. The prisoners accepted them with uncertainty, glancing at Esdeath with emotions ranging from hope to dread. One thing was certain though: as long as she was there, they had no hope of fighting their way out.

"Soldiers!" Esdeath yelled, spreading her arms to the side. "You have all pledged your lives to our great emperor Makoto, and yet you would forsake this sacred duty in the name of cowardice? What do you have to say for yourselves?"

One of the prisoners ran forward, throwing himself at Esdeath's feet. "Esdeath-sama, please forgive us! I swear on my father's grave that it was a momentary madness that made us do what we did! I beg you, place us on the frontlines, punish us, just don't—"

With lightning speed, Esdeath kicked the side of his face, turning his teeth to splinters. Tatsumi shivered as he heard the neck break, and then there was one man less and one corpse more inside this icy fortress.

"Obviously, there's nothing that can be said to excuse such spinelessness," Esdeath said slowly as blood seeped from the dead soldier's mouth. "On any other day, your deaths would have been slow and rigorously painful… but you men are a _very _lucky bunch, for today, I'm inclined to pardon you all. You just have to do this tiny, little thing for me first…"

"_Anything_!" one of the prisoners yelled, and the rest quickly followed suit. "We'll do anything, Esdeath-sama!"

"I thought so," Esdeath grinned. "All you have to do…" she pointed at Tatsumi, "… is kill this boy."

Realizing what was about to happen, Tatsumi took a step back. "Esdeath, don't—"

"Kill him, and you all go free!" Esdeath yelled. "Kill him, and reclaim your lives!"

The prisoners did not hesitate. Over the last two weeks, death had hung over them constantly, like the odor of a corpse. Now that they could glimpse the salvation they'd thought completely beyond them, they reached for it with all their might, charging forward in a frenzy.

At first, Tatsumi felt no fear. The prisoners had obviously been weakened by cold and malnourishment, and he had his teigu. However, it was still ten against one, and without his sword, Tatsumi was forced to pull back as the first man jabbed at him with his lance. As the man thrust at him for the second time, desperation gleaming in his eyes, Tatsumi caught the hilt a second before it pierced his chest, wrenching it out of his opponent's hands. Half a second later, two others were upon him, swinging at him with large broadswords. Tatsumi deflected both blows with ease, but now they had him surrounded. Seeing another lance come for his throat from the corner of his eye, Tatsumi panicked, and whirled around. Without thinking, he stabbed the attacker in the chest.

For a moment, it was as if time itself had stopped. The man's eyes widened, and his mouth opened, a river of blood flowing out from it. Realizing that he'd just killed the man, Tatsumi froze, giving the man behind him an opening. Sensing the movement before it was finished, Tatsumi jumped to the side, but not before the attacker's blade dealt a long, if shallow wound in his side. His nerve endings screaming with pain, Tatsumi felt the red fog enter his mind.

"**HERMES!"**

The teigu answered his call without hesitation, blinding his attackers as it enveloped the boy. Wasting no time, Tatsumi shot forward, his fist digging into the stomach of the man in front of him, sending him rolling. Next, he sent his elbow into the face of the next man, breaking an eye socket, before dealing a savage kick to the right knee of the third. Within a matter of seconds, two thirds of the prisoners were either dead or crippled beyond the point of no return.

The remaining three staggered away, the hope briefly lit on their faces giving way to despair. Esdeath had no patience for it.

"FIGHT!" she roared, blasting the survivor closest to her with a chunk of ice the size of her head. The prisoner fell forward, his skull broken. "Fight or die!"

The larger of the remaining two heeded the order, perhaps figuring he might as well die like a man. The rage of battle still burning in his blood, Tatsumi felt a pair of thin, but sharp blades spring out from the wrists of his armor, each perhaps half as big as his sword. Before the prisoner had finished his second step, they both lay buried in his lungs. The man opened his mouth, but no scream came, and as Tatsumi pulled back, he collapsed like a broken tent. His blades as red as the sky at sundown, Tatsumi directed his gaze towards the last prisoner… a boy of eighteen at most.

His fury gone like fire in the rain, Tatsumi looked around him. The men he'd crippled or killed were all laid out upon the ground, like sacrifices to some heathen god, all except the boy of eighteen, who had silver tears running down his cheeks. The sword he'd been given had been dropped to the ground before him, and as Tatsumi stepped forward, his intention to console the boy, he uttered a single word:

"Mommy…"

No sooner had the word left his mouth, than the point of Esdeath's rapier pierced him through the back. Gasping, the boy looked down at the steel sticking out of his stomach, before the light left his eyes, and Esdeath let him slide off the blade.

Sinking down on one knee, Tatsumi let Hermes go. Without the adrenaline of the battle, he felt sick and cold.

_I could've stopped them all without killing a single one of them… but I…_

"It's a beautiful thing, the blood of your first victory," Esdeath said, standing over him. "There's no reason to be ashamed. They had the chance to save themselves, and they failed." Placing a finger under his chin, she lifted it until their gazes met. The look in her eyes was almost gentle.

"Tatsumi … they were nothing but a bunch of weak scum. They deserved what they got. If you hadn't killed them, I would have."

Tatsumi felt the back of his eyes begin to burn, but there was no way in hell he'd show such weakness in front of this woman. Instead, he shut his mouth and looked away; at anything but Esdeath's face and the carnage he'd wrought. There wasn't much to look at though, besides a cloudy sky and a fortress of ice. Sensing her words had little effect, Esdeath sighed, rising.

"Curse me if you wish. In time, you'll learn."

Stopping briefly to wipe her bloodstained boot against the jacket of the dead eighteen-year-old, she left her new protégé to grieve the loss of his childhood.

* * *

><p><strong>Special thanks to Pyromania101 for betaing this. <strong>


	3. Siege of the North

**Betareading done by Pyromania101**

* * *

><p>As the sun rose lazily in the east, causing millions of reflections on the snowy ground, Tatsumi called upon the strength of Hermes as his opponent came racing towards him. As soon as the sleek armor had appeared, he got moving himself, kicking up clouds of snow as he zoomed forward to confront his challenger. Pulling out his wrist blades, Tatsumi analyzed the beast of a man in front of him, searching for openings.<p>

"Aarrgghh!" his opponent roared, and their weapons met in a shower of sparks. Passing each other, they both whirled around and put down their heels, grinding to a halt. Looking down, Tatsumi observed that Hermes looked untouched. Looking up, he saw a long gash on his opponent's right arm.

"Heh," Daidara grunted, flexing his injured arm with a grimace. "Guess it's my loss."

Nodding, Tatsumi let Hermes go. In the two months that had passed since he'd joined Esdeath's army, his control over the teigu has grown until he could maintain his maximum speed for several minutes, whereas in the beginning he could barely do it for more than twenty seconds; and the armor itself he could retain for hours. A one-strike duel like this was nothing.

"Excellent!" Esdeath called from atop her makeshift observatory, a tall cylinder of ice with a throne at the top. "Daidara, fix that wound! I want to see Tatsumi evade Belvac in flying mode again!"

Nodding, Daidara quickly bandaged the wound on his arm with some cloth torn from his uniform, before separating Belvac into two equal parts. Preparing himself, Tatsumi hunched down until the fingers on his right hand barely touched the ground.

"Now!" Esdeath ordered. Obeying without a word, Daidara threw both parts of Belvac at Tatsumi in a single motion. The two parts immediately began to accelerate, targeting Tatsumi like two malevolent hawks.

"Tch," Tatsumi grunted, dodging to the side. On his own, Belvac would have undoubtedly cut him to pieces in seconds, but with Hermes, avoiding it was easy. When his strength ran out, it would be a different story though.

_This time, I'll end it before it comes to that. _

As if they had some magnetic pull towards him, the axes swirled around, closing in on him once more. Tatsumi dodged again, waiting for his chance. It came after he'd evaded the axes for the fourth time. Twisting himself around as he jumped, he grabbed the hilt of the first ax as it passed above his chest. The pull alone would've dislocated his arm without the perseverance granted to him by Hermes, and he was dragged along as the teigu instinctively attempted to return to its master. Digging his heels into the ground, he managed to bring himself and the weapon to a halt.

Sensing the remaining part come up behind him, fast, he let go of the teigu with his right hand, turning around. A split-second before the flying axe would've split his skull, he used his speed to bend his upper body out of the way, clenching the hilt of the second part as it angrily shot past him. Once again he was jerked forward, and once again he pulled back with all his might until Belvac surrendered, returning to its normal form. Sweat dripping from his face, he let the teigu fall to the ground, unable to hold it a second longer.

"Magnificent!" Esdeath yelled, clapping her hands together like a little girl attending the circus for the first time. "At this rate, you'll be one of the strongest warriors in the empire in no time!"

"Yeah," Daidara grinned, picking up the axe with ease. "And the stronger you get, the more battle experience I'll get from fighting you."

Saying nothing, Tatsumi let Hermes go and pulled his collar up. As the army moved further and further north, the air had gone from cold to freezing, and now he felt the hairs inside his nose freeze in seconds. How the northern tribes could thrive in such a climate, he couldn't possibly understand.

Esdeath jumped down from her construction, letting it crumble as soon as her feet hit the ground. "Daidara, take a tour of the different companies and make sure nobody's slacking off," she said as soon as she'd reached them. "You have my permission to challenge anyone not conducting themselves properly to a duel."

"Yes, Esdeath-sama," the big man said excitedly, before trotting back towards the camp, which was already halfway disassembled. They would start moving soon.

Stepping closer, well within the confines of Tatsumi's personal space, Esdeath said, "I want you to make a sweep of the land south of here – make sure that our supply lines are safe. After that, I want you to scout the terrain ahead for ambush forces."

"As you wish," Tatsumi said, without any of Daidara's enthusiasm. This deep into hostile territory, he would almost certainly run into foes, and since _that _day, whatever childish desire he might've had to battle the empire's enemies was gone.

_If nothing else, I'll have most of the day to myself. _If he had to spend another hour with Nyau and his disgusting habits, he might go insane. What kind of abnormal individual would sleep with a pillow and a blanket made from _human faces? _He turned to leave, but Esdeath stopped him by placing a hand on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw her look at him, her eyes looking…uncertain?

"Tatsumi, you do realize that I care for you, right?"

_You don't even know the meaning of that. _"I…guess…" He wanted to leave, but she wouldn't let him. _God, please tell me she's not going to do something crazy again. _

"After this is over," she gestured towards the north, "we'll be richly rewarded by the emperor. I'll make sure your share will be more than big enough to secure your village's future. You'll be their savior."

Before, a statement like this would undoubtedly have filled his soul with fire, but lately, he'd found it hard to feel motivated for anything. Still, this had been his primary reason for wanting to leave the village.

"Thank you."

She studied him for a moment, no doubt annoyed because he wouldn't look her in the eye. He had not done that – not even once – since _that _day.

"You do realize that eventually, you would've hadto kill _someone_?" Esdeath inquired dryly, no doubt sensing what he was thinking. "You think there's a difference between taking someone's life on the battlefield, and striking down the weakling that won't fight? Death is death, Tatsumi. There's no such thing as honor on the battlefield – only one rule…" Her nails digging into his shoulder, she forced him to look at her, _right _at her. "Hunt…or be hunted. That is how the world works. That is how the world has always worked. My father showed me this countless times."

"And where is he now?"

For a moment, Esdeath looked like she was going to slap him, but then that haughty, confident smile of hers was back.

"He was hunted, of course." She let go of him, finally, and turned around. "I'll be at the head of the column, as always. I want a full report when you return."

"As you wish," he repeated, summoning Hermes, before speeding southwards.

XXXXX

He'd partaken in several clashes with the northern tribes over the course of the last month, and so was well versed in their tactics. Fear of Esdeath had kept them from attacking the main bulk of the army for the most part, choosing instead to target the supply wagons travelling behind the main army. Almost every day, they'd show up out of nowhere, northern harriers on the backs of great elks that endured the winds of this winter land so much better than horses. In seconds, they would be upon the food wagons, killing the guards and burning as many supplies as possible until reinforcements could show up. Tatsumi himself had probably killed nearly two dozen of these men by now, as he was the only asset Esdeath had that was fast enough to pursue and catch them.

Right now, however, everything looked fine. It was an unusually clear day, no winds, no clouds, and the flat plains Esdeath's army was travelling through offered few places for ambush parties to hide. He had to travel all the way back to the very end of the long line of wagons, horsemen and fresh recruits to arrive just in time to see a company of northern harriers appear over the edge of a tall hill – tall, strong men with fur inside their armor to keep the cold away. They even wore masks with markings no doubt intended to frighten their enemies.

_Goddamit, I'm almost out of strength. _Travelling all the way back here had forced him to remove Hermes completely several time to regain his stamina, and now he'd been using it for almost three minutes straight.

_Just a little more, _he thought as he raced to intercept the ambushers, who were too focused on the prize in front of them to notice the small storm that was quickly approaching them from the side. Feeling his limbs scream in protest, Tatsumi zoomed in front of the northerners, kicking up loads of snow in the process. While the enemy raiders were blinded and immobilized, he let Hermes go and ran for the closest enemy, jumping up behind him before the man even knew he was there. Quick as a viper, Tatsumi slipped two hands around the man's neck, and twisted. The man let out a scream that was violently cut off, before sliding off the elk, his body limp as a ragdoll. Grabbing the man's sword before he fell, Tatsumi jumped off the tall animal, before running for the next enemy.

"There!" a raider with the markings of an officer yelled, pointing his spear at Tatsumi, who in response immediately targeted the man. "Kill the empire scum!"

_Nope, _Tatsumi thought as the officer fell off his horse, his throat a mess of red.

"He is one of the black demons!" another raider yelled in panic, pointing at Tatsumi's uniform. "Retreat!"

It was already too late though. The imperial soldiers at the back of the line, while inexperienced and initially cowering when the northerners appeared, had now rallied themselves and were charging to join the fight, firing their gunpowder weapons. Tatsumi had to throw himself to the ground to avoid being shredded by the first volley, cursing as he was almost trampled by a frightened elk. The sudden gust of adrenaline had one upside though.

"Hermes!"

Feeling his strength flourish, Tatsumi rolled to his feet, looking on as the imperial soldiers thundered past him in pursuit of the fleeing northerners. He could have joined them and ensured none of the ambushers escaped, but he didn't see the need to. The supplies were safe, and the northerners would probably retreat to the safety of their capital and not attempt anymore harassing for the moment.

As he turned to leave, he spotted one of the would-be ambushers lying on his back in the snow, clutching a blood-soaked spot on his fur coat. Walking over to the man, Tatsumi noted that the injury was fatal. There was only one thing to do.

_This is war, _he reminded himself, not for the first time, as he plunged one of his wrist blade into the man's chest, piercing his heart with flawless accuracy. The northerner's body convulsed once…then moved no more. _This is battle. _Leaving his fallen enemy to water the snow with red, he again turned his face northwards.

XXXXX

Even with Hermes, getting ahead of the army took nearly an hour. As he passed the head of the long line of soldiers that snaked its way through the landscape, he witnessed Esdeath flatten a small settlement in a matter of seconds. Thankfully, all the inhabitants had already fled to the northern capital, but without any homes to return to, Tatsumi feared they had many hard years in front of them, if they survived the coming battle, that is. These settlements appeared more and more often the closer he got to the capital, and more than once, he spotted northern raiders in the distance, but they fled as soon as they came close enough to see that he was a teigu user.

Finally, as the snow began to fall, the northern capital entered his field of vision. Stopping atop a tall hill, he studied it with wonder. When he first saw Esdeath's army, he couldn't imagine a fortress that could stand against it. Now, he couldn't imagine an army that could bring down _this _fortress.

The entire city had been turned into a huge citadel. Ice, stone and whatever else the northerners had been able to get their hands on had been used to construct a wall spanning the entire perimeter of the city. Inside, he could see barricades stretching from building to building, some of which seemed to be nearly ten meters tall; judging by the people perched on top of them. Finally, there was _another _citadel at the center of the city, one that made the makeshift wall around the city look like a joke.

_These guys are no joke, _Tatsumi decided. He found it very hard to believe that crushing the north would be as easy as Esdeath and her subordinates seemed to think. Then again, after seeing what Esdeath had done to that mountain bear…

Sitting down on an overturned cart, he waited for Esdeath and her forces to arrive.

XXXXX

The prince of the Northern Tribes, Numa Seika, looked on with a heavy heart as he saw the land of his ancestors burn in the distance. The empire's forces continued to press onward, destroying everything in their path. Their way of life had never been under a greater threat…and it was his responsibility alone.

"I know what you're thinking," Tabach said.

Smiling wryly, Numa turned his head to look at his mentor and most trusted advisor. "Of course you do."

"The empire would have come for us eventually, even without the incursions into their lands," the retired warrior continued, his silvery beard glittering in the final rays of sunlight of the day. His grey eyes, much like Numa's own, were as calm as ever, and the prince immediately felt a little better. "Whatever happens tomorrow, it won't be your fault. You'll give our people your best, and that's all any man can do."

"You talk like we've lost already," Numa said, studying the towers of smoke rising in the distance.

"Certainly, our enemies are being led by a demon wearing the skin of a woman," Tabach said, moving to stand beside his former pupil. "I've heard much of her deeds – all of them great, none of them good. If our ranks are broken tomorrow, this city and its inhabitants will be violated beyond the worst of nightmares."

"That won't happen!" Numa hissed with sudden fierceness, his armored hands tightening into fists. "I'll die before I let that happen!"

"Careful," Tabach said, his voice layered with a hint of that sternness he'd not addressed the young prince with in years. "A man should always be willing to give his life for his country, but he should never be eager to. If we lose tomorrow, your people will need you more than ever."

"Why? To serve as a puppet for that little brat and the monster controlling him?" the prince asked bitterly.

"If that is what is needed to keep our people safe…yes, I'm afraid so," Tabach sighed. "But even if that comes to pass, it need not be forever. The drums of change are beating within the empire, as well as here."

"Yes," Numa said slowly, closing his eyes as a cold wind kissed his face. "One way or another, I feel this will all end soon."

XXXXX

"Finally," Tatsumi grunted as the front of Esdeath's army began to flow over the hills behind him, a thousand torches gleaming in the night that had fallen. Trotting towards them, he spotted Esdeath atop her white horse, the Three Beasts following right behind. Her face lit up as she discovered him, a joyful smile stretching her lips, a smile that seemed so inept on a face that, more often than not, shone with cruelty. Spurring her horse, she eagerly rode forward to meet him.

"So, what do you think of _that_?" she inquired, nodding at the myriads of lights that made the northern capital a wondrous sight, even in the dark.

"I think there's a lot of people over there who'd really love to kill us," he answered.

"I know!" Esdeath grinned, turning her gaze to the city. "Isn't it exciting!?"

"Hell yeah!" Daidara exclaimed, coming up behind the general while glaring at the northern capital hungrily. "I'm gonna level up a _ton _tomorrow!"

"Yes, but for now, it's time to make camp," Esdeath said. "You three go and take charge – I want to speak with Tatsumi."

If the Three Beasts felt any jealousy of the special attention Tatsumi was receiving once again, they did not show it, disappearing in the darkness one by one. Without a word, Esdeath got off her horse and snaked her arms around Tatsumi's chest from behind, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"I missed you today," she murmured, nuzzling his neck, filling Tatsumi with a mixture of terror, disgust, and that blasted heat that sometimes crept into his body when Esdeath got extra aggressive. "Why don't you sleep together with me tonight? I've been feeling so lonely with you running around these days."

"Is that an order?" he inquired, guessing the corner of her lips had just dropped by the way her fingers were digging into his flesh.

"That depends," she finally said. "What would your answer be if I said it wasn't?"

"Then I'd respectfully decline," he said, his gaze fixed forward. Almost instantly, he felt the temperature drop, Esdeath's touch becoming so cold it almost burned.

"Then…I officially _order _you to spend the night with me, Tatsumi," she half whispered, half hissed into his ear.

Realizing that he'd pushed her further than he should have, Tatsumi nodded. "As you wish."

XXXXX

Esdeath's pavilion was indeed large, but without much luxury. Most of the furniture she'd just made herself with her teigu, even the bed, as cold of any kind never seemed to bother her in the slightest. For Tatsumi, however, it was a different story.

"There are furs in that chest over there," Esdeath said, pointing at a wooden trunk beside the bed she'd just conjured out of nothing. "Lay those out on top of each other and you should keep warm enough."

"Okay," he said, walking over to the chest and opening it with his foot. As she'd just said, it was filled with white furs so thick they had to have come from some danger beast.

"I'll be right back," Esdeath said, before disappearing through the canvas that covered the pavilion's entrance.

"Take your time," Tatsumi murmured, before picking the entire chest up and spilling the furs out onto the bed like water out of a mug. Running his right hand over his left biceps, he couldn't help feeling some appreciation for the results of Esdeath's unforgiving training program. He could never have acquired a physique like this on his own.

"This is the way of the Partas Clan," she had told him that first day she'd made him strike a wooden pole until his knuckles bled, and that had been the easy part. With such intense training being forced upon every member of the tribe, he couldn't imagine how Esdeath's tribe ever got wiped out.

_Is this why she's that way? _He looked down at his hands, trailing all the fading scars with his fingers. _Am I going to become like that too? _

His thoughts were interrupted when Esdeath reentered the pavilion, carrying a long object wrapped in a black cloth. "Catch," she said, tossing the thing at him.

Tatsumi caught it with ease, weighing it in his hands for a moment, before pulling the cloth away.

"Damn…"

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Esdeath said, walking over to him to run her hand across the sword in Tatsumi's hands. It was _his _sword, no doubt about that, but it had clearly had some work done. It seemed longer now, and additional metal colored like ink had been forged into the blade. His trained eyes had to look at it for only a few seconds to determine that it was much stronger now, but more importantly, so different.

Like him.

"When did you do this?" he inquired, spinning the sword in his hand to get a feel of it. It felt no heavier than it used to, probably because his strength had increased proportionally to the added weight.

"The day after we arrived at the camp," Esdeath answered, sounding pleased with herself. "I employ one of the best weapon smiths in the empire. He was impressed with the handiwork though, given its origins. Who made it originally?"

"I did," Tatsumi said wistfully, remembering it like it was yesterday. He'd spent an entire day in the village's forge, sustaining numerous burns, but in the end, his teacher had barked out a pleased laugh while pummeling his young student's back. Three months later, he was dead, having succumbed to some kind of sickness in his lungs. To this day, Tatsumi was utterly convinced it had something to do with those disgusting cigars his mentor had smoked relentlessly, despite said mentor's numerous assurances that it was completely harmless, and that he should stop being a pussy about it.

"You know how to forge weapons?" Esdeath asked, surprised. "Who taught you?"

"Same guy who taught me how to do wield this," he answered, letting the sword go for a spin again. "Um…thanks." It was obvious the sword was now worth a tenfold of what it used to.

"Consider it a reward for all your hard work until now," Esdeath said, sitting down on the bed. "Now…"

She quickly unbuttoned her jacket, making Tatsumi instinctively move his gaze away. Despite himself, he felt his heart rate go up. _Goddammit_, _after all I've been through, I'm nervous about something like this. Wait…when she said "sleep together", she didn't mean _that _thing, right? _

"It's not polite to leave a lady hanging," Esdeath chastised as she pulled off her skirt, leaving her naked with the exception of a white shirt (and hopefully a pair of panties). "You strip too."

"Er, I usually sleep with my uniform on…" Tatsumi tried.

"Not tonight you aren't," Esdeath said, her blue eyes shining threateningly.

Figuring he'd rebelled as much as he could for one night, he reluctantly pulled off his uniform, leaving just his woolen undergarments.

"That too," Esdeath said, gesturing at the sweater sitting tightly around his upper body.

Feeling his cheeks grow warm and his pulse quicken, he did as he was told, until he stood bare-chested in front of the imperial general, fighting against the urge to turn away as she hungrily ogled the hills and valleys of his stomach.

"Okay," she said after what had felt like an eternity, patting a spot on the bed beside her. "Come here."

XXXXX

"It's time."

Opening his eyes, Numa turned his head to see Tabach stand over him in the darkness just before dawn. His trusted advisor was wearing armor from neck to toe, lacking only the northern warrior's traditional mask.

Running a finger along the naked thigh of the girl that had helped him keep the bed warm during the night (among other things), he blinked the drowsiness from his eyes, before getting to his feet with a grunt.

"The imperials didn't try anything during the night?" he inquired as he put on the thick underwear that would isolate his skin from the cold metal of his armor.

"No," Tabach said while handing him his shirt. "I believe their commander is too confident to feel the need for any trickery."

"Yeah," Numa growled, walking over to the mannequin that hosted his armor. Running his hand across its shiny breastplate, he thought of the men that had worn it before him. His father, his father's father. None of them had ever faltered when they had ridden out to confront the enemies of the North.

_And neither will I. _

"Tabach…"

His advisor helped him put the armor on without a word. Now looking fully the prince he was, Numa stopped briefly to pull the blanket back over the still sleeping girl in the bed, before following Tabach out of the room.

"You've made sure all my generals know the battle plan?" he asked as they crossed the citadel courtyard. How many years had it been now, since the last time Tabach beat him black and blue upon these shiny cobblestones? Eight? Nine? It felt like a hundred.

"Every man is familiar with the part he is to play," Tabach responded.

Nodding, Numa did not break the silence again as they walked through the city of his childhood. The streets, usually so full of life, were now empty, save a grim-looking soldier here and there. All noncombatants had been ordered to keep as far away from the battles as possible. Many of them were now huddled together in the citadel's grand hall, waiting for their fates to be decided.

Finally, they reached the rampart they'd spent weeks constructing as the imperial army drew nearer. Thousands of warriors waited here, their expressions hidden behind faceless masks as they watched their leader walk through them.

Numa stopped as he reached the top of the rampart, stepping up on a box to peer over the short palisade that had been erected there. In the emerging light, he could see that the imperials had yet to move into position, but it wouldn't be long now. Over the course of a single night, the southerners had constructed a city of their own, one of white cloth and wood, and now it stretched across the snowy plain in front of him, like one huge, malevolent beast trying to disguise itself.

"Do we have any new information on teigu-users within our enemy's ranks besides the ice woman?" he asked Tabach.

"Yesterday, one of our companies was attacked by a warrior said to have moved faster than a bird in flight," Tabach answered. "As a result, all but a handful were captured or killed."

"Beautiful," Numa grumbled. Strategy had always been one of his strong points, when it came to hunting, war or whatever, but teigu were every strategist's nightmare – impossible to anticipate. He could only hope this lightning man was the only wildcard the imperial general had on her hands, but he doubted it.

"It appears the lazy bastards are finally getting ready," he noted, noticing the activity around the front of the camp. "Tell the men that if they feel like emptying their bladders, now would be the time to do it."

XXXXX

Pulling up and fastening his pants, Tatsumi stepped out of Esdeath's pavilion just as the sun began to rise across the mountains to the east. The camp was already buzzing like a beehive, the air itself vibrating with energy. Taking a huge bite off the arm-sized sausage he'd scrounged from Esdeath's food stock, he slung his newly returned sword across his back and set his course for the black tent (probably the only one in the camp) he and the Three Beasts occupied.

"Look who's back," Daidara exclaimed as he entered. The big man was busy cleaning Belvaac again, even though the battleax was as shining and smooth as a baby's cheeks, as always. "Now where on _earth _did you go last night?" he inquired with a suggestive grin.

Tatsumi rewarded him with a sour look. He was way too tired to deal with Daidara's witticisms right now. All he wanted to do was lie down on the hard, uncomfortable bed in the corner, the closest thing he had to a home these days, and sleep for twelve hours straight, bur sadly that was not an option.

"How long until this show gets going?" he asked of River, who was sitting with his legs crossed on his own bed, reading a book.

"We were just about to leave," he said, putting it aside. "I see you've got your sword back. Good."

"Yup," Tatsumi said, pulling out the blade to show it off for a second. "Was this your idea, River?"

The former general shrugged. "Even teigu-users must rely on ordinary weapons from time to time." He got up. "Nyau's already gone ahead. We should follow."

They found the blond youth together with Esdeath on top of a small hill, both of them overlooking the thousands of soldiers moving slowly into position, forming giant squares with the gunmen at the front.

"Glorious, isn't it?" Esdeath said without turning to look at the newcomers as she let her gaze travel over the soon-to-be battlegrounds. "No intoxicant can beat the sensation of the battle rage. My dear friends…"

Tatsumi tightened his grip as she slowly turned to look at him, her eyes so passionate it seemed they were glowing.

"…are you ready to join me in your greatest battle yet?"

Pointing their teigus at the sky, the three made a show of their devotion to their master by roaring their ayes, and Tatsumi awkwardly joined in. So here it was, the great moment he'd been fantasizing about for all these years, the moment where he proved his worth in battle. He should've been excited as hell, but all he could feel was a growing sense of discomfort in his stomach. This…this didn't feel right at all.

"Let us see if we can tempt these northerners to humor us with some foreplay," Esdeath grinned. "Send out Hrungne!"

XXXXX

"Oh," Numa said. "So that's how it's going to be."

Out of the imperial fold, a giant of a man had stepped, as tall as a tree. Now, this monstrosity was lumbering forward, across the empty land that separated the two armies, dragging along a stone club of immense proportions.

"The enemy general is trying to make you throw your life away before the battle has even started," Tabach said.

"I know," Numa said, picking up his father's spear.

"There is little for you to win, and everything to lose in humoring them."

"I know," Numa said, flexing his fingers.

"My prince, if you die in the next few minutes, we've already lost."

"I know," Numa said, turning to look at his oldest friend at last. "But if I cannot beat an overgrown, southern rat like that, isn't that still true?" And so, he jumped over the palisade and went to confront his would-be conquerors.

XXXXX

"It appears the princeling will answer this challenge himself," River noted as they saw the hero of the north vault out into the no man's land. "Perhaps he's not as clever as we've been led to believe."

Tatsumi couldn't help agreeing with that statement. Running out into the open to fight that monster without a teigu? Madness. He'd seen Hrungne lift boulders as big as houses with ease.

"I think we'll know the answer to that soon enough," Esdeath grinned.

They all watched in silence as the two opponents drew nearer, Hrungne lumbering complacently along as if he hadn't even noticed the little prince, who was striding towards him, the tip of his spear hovering a mere inch above the ground. Finally, Hrungne seemed to become aware of the little enemy stalking towards him, lifting his club to his shoulder while roaring defiantly. Tatsumi could've sworn he felt the ground itself shake just then.

Slowly, inexorably, Hrungne lifted the club even higher, before letting it fall. The prince, and the ground around, disappeared from sight as a sky of snow was whirled up into the air.

"Well, that sure didn't take long," Daidara said, sounding disappointed.

Tatsumi was about to voice his agreement, when he noticed something weird. It looked like Hrungne had frozen in place, not moving a single, humongous muscle.

_Don't tell me…_

No sooner had the thought formed in his head, than Hrungne fell over, the clash between his huge body and the ground giving the impression of thunder. Tatsumi saw Numa Seika, Hero of The North, retrieve his spear from Hrungne's massive neck, where it had lodged nearly its full length.

For a moment, not a sound save that of the wind could be heard across the battlefield, but then the northerners erupted in cheers, applauding their hero and leader, and shouting insults at their enemy. Peering down, Tatsumi saw the prince's gaze find the little group on the hill, before he lifted his bloodstained weapon, pointing it right at them. He held it like that for a moment, before turning his back and walking away.

"Aww," Nayu whined. "I always liked Hrungne."

"If that's the case, why don't you give the uppity prince a little taste of our _true _power," Esdeath suggested, drawing her rapier.

An evil grin forming on the blond midget's face, he lifted Scream to his lips, preparing to make his terrible music.

"FOR THE EMPIRE!" Esdeath roared so loudly Tatsumi was sure every man in the legion below them must've heard it, and indeed, every soldier began to move as one, an ocean of steel and muscle flowing forward, merciless, _fearless. _

_Here we go, _Tatsumi thought grimly, calling upon the pulsating warmth in his wrist.

XXXXX

By the time the imperial horns began to blow, Numa was almost back to his men. They greeted him like a god, slamming their weapons together to create a deafening noise as he nimbly climbed over the palisade.

"That was foolish," Tabach grunted, even though his eyes shone with pride. "What if you had misjudged that mutant?"

"But I didn't," Numa answered with a grin, the feeling of doom that had hung over him for these past few days burned away by the warmth of victory. "And now the hearts of our men have been filled with hope. Are the archers ready?"

"Yes," Tabach confirmed, handing the prince a gilded bow and a single, red arrow. The northern tribes were not completely without gunpowder weapons, but the ones they had were few and not nearly as efficient as the ones the empire had access to, and so, they would have to put their faith in the longbow.

Aiming somewhere between the horizon and the sky, Numa let the arrow go. Helped by a strong wind blowing from the north, it struck the ground over three hundred meters from the edge of the city. Making sure he was within sight of the two thousand archers positioned behind him, out of the enemy's sight.

_We will break their spirit before a single blow is exchanged. _

Watching as the imperial lines drew closer to the lonely red arrow in the snow, Numa could feel that victory was well within his grasp. He just needed to wait for the right moment to grasp it. He just needed to keep his head cool for a minute or two longer now, and then it would be all over before it had even begun. This he believed with all his heart, until a sound more horrifying than a child's dying scream began a merciless assault on his ears.

Sinking to his knees, clutching his temples, he let out a soundless scream as his worst memories passed before his inner eye: His father's pale corpse on a stone altar, the burning pain of the jaw of a wolf clenched around his left arm, lifelong comrades dying in his arms, they all flashed before him with nightmarish intensity. Forcing his gaze up, he saw his soldiers fall over where they stood, some screaming, others crying. Even Tabach, the rock he'd leaned on since he was a child, was swaying like a drunk, looking like he'd aged fifteen years in a matter of seconds.

With herculean effort, he rose up, scanning the approaching imperials for the source of the dreadful noise. His sharp eyes found it almost immediately, a blond boy walking maybe ten paces in front of the first line of imperials, playing some sort of flute.

_Teigu. _

"HORNS!" he roared. When nobody except Tabach responded, he drew his own and blew into it as hard as he could. It was enough to get the attention of the men in his immediate area. "BLOW YOUR FUCKING HORNS!"

One by one, his subjects responded, lifting their own horns to their lips with trembling hands. As soon as one soldier blew his horn, the men around him seemed to awaken. Within a minute, great and powerful war music had neutralized the poisonous effect of the enemy's cowardly tactic. Peering at the blond boy in the black uniform, Numa thought he could see a fleeting darkness pass over his enemy's face.

_There's a limit to how long we can keep this up though, _the prince thought, his teeth clenched. _Just a little bit closer now, you bastards. _

No sooner had the thought been formed, than something blew past the palisade right in front of him with such speed that all he saw was a flash of grey. The vortices created in its wake forced tons of snow into the air, hiding the imperials within a moment. Before Numa could even begin to understand what was happening, the thing passed him again, making his hair flutter sideways.

_The running man, _he realized as another gust of snow hit him in the face. _Damn him to hell! _He couldn't see a goddamn thing now, not the imperials, nor any ground more than two meters away.**  
><strong>

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" he yelled as loudly as he could, but his lone voice did not stand a chance against the barrage of noise all around him. All it took was a single archer losing his nerve, and thus, his arrow, and then the sky was darkened as two thousand arrows took flight too early. Slamming his fist against the wood of the palisade, Numa let out a scream of frustration. His plan, his strategy, all undone because of a couple of freaks and their toys!

As the arrows disappeared, the disorderly concert ended as his men let their horns fall, one by one, but the sound of that dreaded flute did not take its place – silence did. For a short time, Numa didn't know what to do. Should he order his men to fire again, to take up their spears, or retreat into the city? Not since he had played board games with Tabach as a child had someone outmaneuvered him this badly.

A shadow fell upon the ground beneath his steel-clad feet, and he had just enough time to look up as a giant boulder of ice passed above his head, before crashing down among the men behind him, like a heavenly fist of iron. Well above two dozen men were crushed instantly, several more knocked down by debris as the boulder broke into a thousand pieces.

"GET BACK!" Numa screamed, realizing what was coming. "TO THE BARRICADES! RETREAT!"

Even as the last word left his mouth, two new projectiles, both larger than the first, went down among them, one of them punching a huge hole in the palisade. Using his spear to keep himself upright, Numa kept yelling, but there was really not much of a need. His men were already running like hell itself was pursuing them.

And for all intents and purposes, it was.

XXXXX

Tatsumi watched, his mouth dry, as Esdeath hurled tons of ice at the northerners for every passing second. He could only hear their plight, due to all the snow he'd kicked up to sabotage the enemy's line of sight, but he did not doubt Esdeath had killed more men during this one minute since she threw the first boulder, than most soldiers would in an entire lifetime.

_This battle is already over. The only question is how long until the northerners realize they can't win? _

The longer they resisted, the harsher the punishment would be when the fighting ended, that much he knew for sure. He still remembered the cold he'd felt this very morning, as he'd asked Esdeath, as she got dressed, what she intended to do with the northerners when it was all over. Her only response had been a laugh that chilled him to the bone.

Taking the long way around to keep himself well out of Esdeath's line of fire, he ran along the city's outermost fortification, looking for a way in. When he found it, he used his momentum to launch himself clear across the palisade and into the streets behind it. The northerners were much too terrified in their retreat to take notice of him as he quickly climbed the nearest house, before stopping at the top to reconnoiter.

Just as expected, the northerners' frontline had been obliterated, the makeshift wall they'd put up smashed to pieces. In a few minutes, the imperial army would wash over it like high tide, and then the slaughter would begin.

_Unless I stop it. _

Maybe, just maybe, if he got to the prince, beat him and forced him to order his men to surrender, full carnage could be avoided, but only if he got to him first…

Keeping watch of the approaching imperials from the corner of his eye, he began to jump from roof to roof, looking for a mane of shiny, black hair.

XXXXX

Saying a quiet prayer to his ancestors, Numa watched as the imperials crossed the city's border without having lost a single man. Led by a monster of a man wielding the largest battleax the prince had ever seen, they stamped on the bodies of his brothers without as much as looking down, before halting in front of the barricade where Numa and his personal guards had made their stand. The rest of his army was running for the safety of the citadel, which would be quite cramped very soon.

_You have not broken our backs yet, dogs of the empire, _he thought defiantly. _For every brother of mine you have murdered, I will take ten of yours. _

"My prince…" he heard Tabach say softly, the old man's hand heavy on his shoulder.

"We have not lost yet," Numa snapped. "Don't tell me you are ready to just lie down and die!"

"My prince…the people…"

Shaking his mentor's hand off his shoulder, Numa looked on as the imperial soldiers moved to the side to give way for a woman riding on a white horse.

"So, General Esdeath dares to show herself at last," he declared loudly enough for all the men around him to hear. "We'll make her flee right back to the capital, and that fat bastard's bed!"

He got a few laughs, but that was it. They knew what he did not want to admit to himself – that they were outmatched by this demon from the south. Glancing sideways at Tabach, the thing he'd always done during those rare instances when insecurity threatened to overtake him, Numa felt his spirit waver. His old mentor was staring at the enemy general, his face as white as the horse she rode.

"No…" the old man whispered. "It cannot be…"

Numa was about to shake his old friend and ask him just what the hell was wrong, when the ice demon decided it was her turn to shout.

"Prince of the Northern Tribes, I see you!" she exclaimed, pointing at him with that ridiculously long needle of hers. "Come down here and face me, or is it true that cold makes the cocks fall off you northern wretches?"

His blood boiling, Numa prepared to climb over the edge of the barricade, but without warning, Tabach pulled him back.

"Numa, this is not an opponent you can defeat!" he shouted, his voice layered with desperation. "If you go down there, you might as well slit your throat first!"

"Let go!" Numa snapped, attempting to pull away, but his mentor's grip was as strong as ever.

"My prince-"

"I'D RATHER DIE DOWN THERE THAN BE REMEMBERED AS A COWARD!"

"Then…I will have to ask for your forgiveness later," Tabach said quietly, smashing the hilt of his spear against the side of Numa's head.

XXXXX

When Tatsumi first saw the prince get struck down by one of his own, from a vantage point some hundred meters away, his first thought was that the prince's men had betrayed him in the hope of winning Esdeath's favor, but as Numa Seika was carried away, towards the citadel, he realized it was quite the opposite. The prince's men had just saved him from himself. Glancing down into the street below him, he saw Esdeath's face twist itself with fury as the fight she'd been looking forward to for months was torn from her grasp. Without further ado, she ordered every men within hearing range to storm forward, and they did, Daidara taking the lead while waving Belvaac excitedly.

This would've been the perfect opportunity for Tatsumi to swoop down and capture the prince, but to his frustration, he needed to let Hermes rest for the moment. He tried his best to catch up with the men carrying the unconscious Seika, but was too late, and as the citadel gates slammed shut behind them, all he could do was watch.

_I need another way in, one where I don't have to fight a hundred vengeful northerners on the way. _

The citadel walls were lined with a series of tubes near and above the main gate. If Tatsumi remembered correctly, River had told him the northerners had built the city here because of large reserves of hot water in the ground below, and that the northerners used it as a source of both warmth and power. Said water had to be running through those tubes.

_Looks climbable, _Tatsumi decided. He'd have to be careful not to be noticed by the defenders on the wall though.

Without wasting any more time, he jumped down to ground level and ran for the nearest pipe.

XXXXX

Numa awakened as he was being carried over the citadel courtyard. For a moment, he did not understand what was going on, but then it all came back to him, and with a roar, he ripped himself from the grasp of his men and got back on his feet.

"Traitors!" he shouted, grabbing his spear from one the guards. "How dare you!?"

The men got down on their knees, foreheads to the ground. "Forgive us, our prince," they begged in unison. "We only followed Commander Tabach's orders."

_Tabach, _Numa thought, his teeth grinding against each other like a blade on a sharpening stone. _You goddamn fool. _Turning around, he saw that the citadel gates had been closed.

"_Get those open, now!" _he roared at the men in the gatehouse, waving at the gates with his spear.

"The imperials are already upon us!" came the answer from a wide-eyed man with the muscles of an ox. "If we open the gates, they'll kill us all!"

_Then Tabach must already be dead, _Numa thought, feeling a great exhaustion come over him, and for a moment, he just wanted to lay down on the ground and rest his hurting head against the snow. But…that had never been an option, least of all now.

"Well, what are you waiting for!?" he shouted at the hundreds of soldiers around him, the ones that had managed to reach the citadel before the imperials caught up with them. "Man the walls!" He raised his spear towards the sky. "FIGHT FOR YOUR FAMILIES! FIGHT FOR YOUR FREEDOM! FIGHT FOR YOUR LIVES!"

The men of the north answered his call with hoarse roars, scrambling for the top of the walls, where they would soon rain arrows, stone, bullets and whatever else they could get their hands on down upon the enemy. As for himself, he would be ready when the gate inevitably broke.

XXXXX

Tatsumi cursed inwardly as he nearly fell to his death for the third time. Stupidly enough, he'd not taken into account the fact that the pipes would be as slippery as a wet eel. Looking down, he saw Esdeath and the Three Beasts lead a host of soldiers up the main road to the citadel, and in a matter of minutes, the gate would be smashed to pieces. He was almost out of time, and he was barely halfway up the wall.

_I won't make it in time, _he realized. At this rate, Esdeath would slaughter every man still standing inside the citadel…unless…

Reaching out to Hermes with his mind, he felt that the teigu power was far from restored, but…it might be just enough to get him over the wall.

_Okay, Tatsumi, time to see what you're made of…HERMES! _

The teigu responded, and his fatigue was swept away as the armor enveloped him. With a roar, he jumped up and grabbed a new pipe more than a dozen meters above him, before jumping again. Finally, his right hand clasped the wall parapet and he hoisted himself up, ending up face-to-face with a gaping northerner.

"Sorry," Tatsumi grunted, before plunging one of his wrist blades through the man's neck. Sadly, he was not alone.

"Wall climber!" an archer to his left yelled, before loosening the arrow he'd been about to send at the imperials below at Tatsumi instead. Despite the short range, it glanced harmlessly off his armor though.

XXXXX

"Wall climber!"

Numa looked up, shocked to see that the enemy had made it onto the top of the wall somehow. Cursing every god he knew and then some, he ordered the highest-ranking officer in sight to watch the gate while he made his way up the wall as quickly as he could. How, how on earth had they gotten up there this quickly!?

When he reached the top, out of breath and sweaty as a pig in a sauna, his heart grew cold for a moment when he saw how many of his brethren the intruder had slaughtered. Like a fiend from hell, the armored warrior turned to look at him, more red than grey now, and Numa could not believe himself when the touch of fear kissed his soul with an evil grin, for the first time for as long as he could remember.

The feeling was short-lived however, as his opponent's armor evaporated like water, leaving him face-to-face with a brown-haired, green-eyed boy that couldn't possibly have been more than seventeen.

"You…?" Numa whispered. "You're the running man?"

"That's what I do," the boy answered, pulling a black sword from a holster on his back.

Faced with the one who'd snatched victory away from him like a thief in the night, Numa saw red, and threw himself forward with a battle cry that made Esdeath herself look up for a moment as she conjured a giant ram of ice.

XXXXX

The prince's spear met his sword, and Tatsumi knew at once this man was on a whole other level than the soldiers he'd just cut through like nothing. His speed, his strength…it was as perfect as any normal man could achieve.

_If I mess up now, even once, it'll all be over in a heartbeat. _

"Damn fiend!" the prince shouted, jabbing at his face with the spear, forcing Tatsumi to wrench his head to the side. "You think your bestial toys scare me? _Think again!_"

"Look down!" Tatsumi shouted back, pointing at the imperial soldiers massing in front of the gate beneath them. "The gate will be breached any second now! If you order your men to stand down, you can all walk out of here alive!"

"Crawl, you mean," the prince hissed, hitting Tatsumi in the stomach with the butt end of his spear. "I'd rather die on my feet!"

"And you'll take all your people down with you!?" Tatsumi shot back, clutching his aching abdomen. "Is that what it means to be a leader!?"

"SHUT UP!" Numa roared, lifting his spear above his head. "If not for you, we could have won this! If not for that cursed teigu of yours, Tabach would still be alive! What do you know of leadership, you dog of the empire!?"

"I didn't choose to come here!" Tatsumi shouted, and the prince faltered.

"What?"

Sensing he might get through to the prince yet, Tatsumi's voice became urgent. "My village, my friends, if I don't fight, they're all going to die. I'm not here because I want to; I'm here because it's the only thing I can do to keep them safe. Even if I have to throw away my honor a hundred times, if it's for them, how could I not?"

The prince looked at him for what seemed like an eternity, his eyes unreadable. Still, it seemed to Tatsumi he was lowering his spear, if only a centimeter or two. But…then his eyes hardened again, and Tatsumi felt like death himself was laughing at him upon his bony throne.

"If that is true, how can you believe there's anything but death for my people, no matter what I do?" he asked quietly and thrust his spear forward.

Tatsumi screamed as he felt cold steel enter the warmth of his thigh and on instinct, he stabbed forward with his sword. Its tip found the prince's waist, where his armor was weakest, going in almost to the hilt. For a moment, they were frozen like that, Tatsumi on his knees, the prince standing over him, blood flowing from both their wounds. Then, the light disappeared from Numa Seika's eyes, and he fell forward, knocking Tatsumi on his back.

For a while, it was all Tatsumi could do to keep himself awake as the cold and his injury drained him of energy faster than any teigu could. Nobody stopped what they were doing and took a moment to say a prayer as the Prince of the North grew cold and stiff where he had fallen…and yet…to Tatsumi, it was as if the air itself had stopped breathing, even as dying men screamed for their mothers and Esdeath's ram rhythmically slammed against the citadel gate. To Tatsumi it was as if the whole world had grown as silent as a forgotten graveyard.

And so, at the very second the gate was broken, Tatsumi closed his eyes and just let himself go.

* * *

><p><strong>"Hrungne" is the name I've given to the giant that can be seen in the background whenever Esdeath's army is shown in the manga. <strong>


	4. Sins of our fathers

**Betaed by Pyromania101.**

* * *

><p>With a terrified gasp, Tatsumi's eyes flew open. Darkness surrounded him, and his throat felt like it had not known water for a hundred years. Instinctively, he tried to roll to his feet and get into a fighting stance, but a sharp pain in his leg and a gloved hand on his chest put a stop to that.<p>

"Easy, Tatsumi."

"River?" Tatsumi whispered hoarsely, blinking furiously. With the drowsiness ebbing away, he could barely make out the former general's glittering eyes in the darkness. He seemed to be smiling, something Tatsumi found difficult to believe, since he'd never once seen him do it before.

"What … what happened?" Tatsumi asked, the dryness of his throat making him grimace. "Where are we?"

"We won," River said reaching over and grabbing a mug of water, which he then gave to Tatsumi, who emptied it in a matter of seconds. "We're inside the citadel. You've been out of it for almost two days."

_Two days, _Tatsumi thought, his heart sinking like a stone in water. Everything had already been decided then.

"You did well to kill Numa Seika," River continued, fetching a mug of water from a table beside Tatsumi's bed. "If he'd been leading them, the northerners might've given us a hard time during the battle for the citadel, but as it was, they broke utterly after the gates fell. Esdeath-sama is most pleased with you, even though she wanted to kill the prince herself."

"I see…" Tatsumi said, before emptying the mug in three gulps. Never in his life had simple water tasted so heavenly. However, it could not repress the sudden image inside his mind, one of a pair of grey eyes lose their fire and become empty and blank.

_Damn fool…_

"As for this, you were extremely lucky," River said, tapping Tatsumi's right thigh, making him wince. Glancing down he saw that it was covered in fresh bandages.

"The prince missed the central artery by a couple of centimeters. If he had not, you would've bled out in a matter of minutes."

"Yeah, I'm a lucky guy," Tatsumi grunted, unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. If River noticed, he showed no sign of it.

"Esdeath-sama told me to notify her the moment you regained consciousness," he said, rising up from the chair he'd been seated on. "Do you feel strong enough to join me?"

"Sure," Tatsumi said, gritting his teeth as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. His thigh hurt when he put his right foot down. "Am I going to be crippled or something, you think?"

"I doubt it," River said, handing him his uniform, which had obviously been cleaned. "It'll take a month or two before it's completely healed though, so you'll just have to be patient."

The next few minutes went by in silence as River led him out of the room, and down a richly decorated corridor. In the rooms they passed, he saw imperial soldiers do everything from looting, eating, drinking, gambling and sleeping – in other words, nothing that caught his interest.

Until the very last room.

If he'd blinked, he might've missed it, as the room was as obscure as the one where he'd slept had been. Three soldiers were lounging on some divans pushed into a semicircle. A woman in a filthy dress sat on her knees in front of the man in the middle, her head moving up and down in a rhythmic motion. For a few mad seconds, Tatsumi thought the soldier had ordered her to fasten his belt or something, but then a convulsion ran through the soldier's bulky body, and he put his hand on the woman's head, forcing it downwards.

His eyes widening, Tatsumi felt sick to the core as the woman pushed herself backwards and turned her head away, and in doing so, she provided him with a simply splendid view as she… swallowed.

Ignoring the sound of River's voice asking him if he were coming or not, Tatsumi walked forward, the pain in his leg forgotten. The soldiers, completely immersed in the humiliation of their captive, did not notice him until he was right in the middle of them, as he took a wide step around the girl on the floor, who up-close looked no older than fifteen at most. The soldier she'd been servicing saw him last, and thus, he barely had the time to form a look of surprise on his face before Tatsumi socked it with all his might. Blood splattered across the man to his right as he was sent flying backwards over the divan, his head slamming violently against the stone floor.

"Wha … you BASTARD!" the blood-spattered buddy yelled, throwing himself at Tatsumi, who responded by turning around and hitting him in the midriff, _hard_, before bringing his knee up against the man's chin, harder. As he fell down, the remaining soldier rose up, a man bearing the markings of an officer, reaching for his sword. He got it almost two thirds out of the hilt before a he was sent flying as well, thanks to a well-aimed kick to the stomach. Spit flying from his mouth, the officer hadn't the time to utter a word before he slammed into the wall, and sank into a heap on the floor. Tatsumi stepped towards the first man, his intent to inflict as much harm upon the rotten bastard as his fists and feet were capable of, but before he could even being, a strong hand closed around his shoulder and forcibly turned it around.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" River inquired, his teal eyes shining with controlled anger. "Attacking a fellow soldier unprovoked is punishable by death."

"Unprovoked…?" Tatsumi managed, unable to believe what he was hearing. "Are you blind!? Can't you see what they were doing to this girl!?" Looking to the side, he saw that the girl in question had crawled into a corner. He couldn't see her face, but her shoulders were shaking so violently Tatsumi feared she was having a fit. He tried to go after her, but River pulled him back again.

"What of it?" the former general asked, as composed as ever. "These men were simply enjoying the spoils of war – with Esdeath-sama's blessing, I might add."

"But…it's _wrong!" _Tatsumi protested, unable to believe these words were coming out of the mouth of a man who had once been willing to oppose one of the most powerful men in the empire to protect the sanctity of his office.

"That is up to Esdeath-sama to decide," River said mechanically. "Now come, or I'll have to report to her what you've done here."

"I'm not _coming _anywhere before you do something for that girl," Tatsumi snapped, pointing at the terrified little thing in the corner. "You'll have to beat me unconscious and drag me along."

River looked at him for a while, a mixture of annoyance and begrudging respect on his face, before he finally let his hand fall and walked past Tatsumi to the cowering girl.

"Take this," he said, tearing off his tie, or more precisely, the black cross he'd used to fasten it, and just like that, he dropped it onto the girl's lap. "Wear this on you at all times, and I guarantee you, no man will try to harm you again."

The girl did not move, and after studying her for a little while, River seemed to lose interest, before moving on to the soldier Tatsumi had struck first. He was not moving, and a small puddle of blood had begun to form beneath his head.

"It seems you've killed this man," River said, his voice measured. "Even if we take him to the medics, he'll be dead in a few hours."

"And I'm supposed to feel bad about that?" Tatsumi snapped. "If you haven't forgotten, I already killed a bunch of our own … with Esdeath-_sama's _blessing!"

"Those men were criminals."

"And these guys _aren't_!?"

"Enough," River grunted. "We'll talk more of this later."

"She still needs help," Tatsumi said as River walked past him out of the room, noting how the girl had not yet moved a finger.

"My patience is wearing thin," River said without turning his head. "Straining it further will not do you _or _the girl any good, I promise you that."

Clenching his hands into fists, Tatsumi sent the girl one last helpless look, before reluctantly turning his back on her to limp after River. Suddenly, the pain in his thigh had returned, twice as strong now.

XXXXX

Esdeath had just finished writing a full report of the campaign, and was just about to call for a courier that could deliver it to the Prime Minister, when River entered her office (formerly Numa Seika's study), and her heart skipped when she saw her beloved follow right behind him.

"Tatsumi!" she exclaimed, her voice uncharacteristically girly, and without further ado, she bounced to her feet and crossed the room in four long strides, before scooping the green-eyed boy up in her arms. Truly, there was no scent sweeter than that of his untidy brown hair.

"I've missed you," she murmured into his ear, resisting the urge to bite it. "If you ever scare me like that again … I'll have to punish you." She feared no danger beast, and certainly no man, but finding Tatsumi lying on his back, in a puddle of blood no less, had filled her with this feeling that she had all but forgotten. Afterwards, when it was clear Tatsumi would make it, she'd decided she'd rather not feel like that again.

"Then I won't," Tatsumi replied with that emotionless tone that always bugged her so. Where was that cocky youth that had brimmed with life, even as he was coughing up blood on the ground? Well, she supposed that was simply a sacrifice she'd have to make if she wanted to make him hers, and that was something she desired above almost everything else.

"Good," she said, holding him at an arm's length. "How is your leg?"

"Fine."

She let her gaze travel down to confirm it herself, only to be distracted by something entirely different.

"Tatsumi…why do you have blood on your hands?" she inquired, running a finger along a red streak on his knuckles. When Tatsumi said nothing, River stepped forward, bowing his head.

"Tatsumi got into a scuffle with fellow soldiers because of the way they were treating one of the captives. I'll take full responsibility, as my lack of awareness allowed the situation to get out of control."

"Oh really?" Esdeath asked, not sure if she ought to be amused or displeased. Turning back to Tatsumi, she said: "And what, might I ask, provoked this response?"

"It was this girl…" Tatsumi began, and Esdeath's interest was instantly piqued. "They … they were making her…"

"I see," she interrupted. She did not care about specifically how this girl had been molested, no, what she wanted to know was Tatsumi's reason for caring. "And you felt that this was … wrong?"

"Yes," he said stubbornly, and she was pleased to see a flicker of that old fire in his eyes. Still, she made a mental note to find the girl in question later and break her neck for making Tatsumi care about her.

"Don't do that again," she said with that low tone she used when she wanted to emphasize her seriousness. "Next time, come to me instead, and I'll arrange something … _if _I feel your grievances are justified. Are we clear?"

"Crystal," Tatsumi said, before walking past her to flop down onto a comfortable-looking couch. Apparently, his leg was hurting more than he was willing to admit.

"Good," she said, before giving her report to River. The former general made a deep bow, before removing himself from the room, leaving her alone with Tatsumi for the first time since the night before the battle. Feeling childishly excited, she quickly helped herself to some drinks from the prince's private supply.

"No thanks," Tatsumi said as she offered him a glass filled to the brim with golden liquid.

"I insist," she responded in her disobey-me-at-your-own-peril voice, and after a brief reconsideration, he accepted, just like he always did when she pressed hard enough. However, she could not force him around like a doll forever, especially if he truly was to be her lover…and perhaps even equal. Usually, her charisma, power and looks were more than enough to win over any man (and oftentimes women too), but with Tatsumi, it seemed to have no effect at all. Promises of wealth and power, gifts, blatant advances – all they ever achieved was that same sullen look.

Of course, this only served to increase her desire to possess him.

"You did well to kill Numa Seika," she said, unknowingly echoing River's earlier words, "Although, it would've been preferable if you'd taken him alive. I had such _great _plans for him." There was no need for Tatsumi to know that these plans mostly involved stretch benches and castration.

"That was what I was trying to do," Tatsumi said without looking at her, playing with his glass.

"Oh," she said. "I suppose that explains how he managed to hurt you this badly." Sitting down beside him, she let her free hand rest on his bandaged thigh. "The Prime Minister will be most pleased with our achievements here, but don't expect any long breaks. The last news I heard from the capital was that the revolutionary army was making headway in the south."

Tatsumi's glass stopped a mere centimeter from his lips. "Revolution?"

"Ah yes, I suppose you wouldn't know anything about that," she said, before emptying her own glass in a single gulp. The liquor burned deliciously on its way down her throat and she was not surprised when Tatsumi spat it out, a look of disgust on his face. Oh, he was so cute right now; she just wanted to eat him right up.

"They're rebels who've emerged in the southern parts of the empire these last few years," she continued while refilling her glass. Due to her high resistance, it would probably take a whole bottle of this stuff to get her even slightly inebriated. "Sooner or later, we'll crush them though, just like we did to these northerners. In the end, the strong will prevail."

"I'm not feeling very strong right now…" Tatsumi said, looking down at his empty glass. "Say … Esdeath…"

"Yes?"

"What happened to the prince's body?"

She looked at him for a while, puzzled. "How does that interest you?"

"No particular reason…" he mumbled, obviously uncomfortable.

She shrugged. "See for yourself." She pointed at the room's only window, which faced the citadel courtyard.

Without a word, Tatsumi put his glass aside and got up, before walking over to the window. He stood like that for quite some time, so long that Esdeath was just about to tell him to come back when he suddenly whirled around and _ran _for the door.

"Tatsumi, your leg!" she protested as he blew past her, but her words went unnoticed. All she could do was listen to the abating sound of his feet on the floor, until it was completely gone.

"My, my," she sighed, taking another sip of the prince's golden liquor. "You never learn, do you?"

XXXXX

By the time Tatsumi reached the courtyard, his leg felt like it had been pierced all over again, but he refused to allow it to slow him down, even if it meant reopening the wound. Ignoring the many looks of the soldiers sitting and walking around. Finally though, he reached his destination, his breath going like a pair of bellows.

Numa Seika, Prince of the Northern Tribes, had been stripped naked and impaled on long, thin, blood-splattered spear of ice, his mutilated corpse on display for the entire world to see. His body, once beautiful, was now a grotesque pale thing, with the exception of the lower parts of his feet, which had turned blue, as the blood had flowed downwards inside his dead body, but the worst part, by far, was the eyes.

They'd been ripped out, like weeds from the ground.

_This… this is not right, _was all he managed to formulate inside his head. A prince, a leader – he was not supposed to rest this way. This wasn't how he would've wanted a victorious enemy to treat his corpse. This was just … evil.

"Hey, you there!" he yelled at a group of soldiers huddled around a fire some ten meters away, smoking. "Help me get this man down!"

"Are you out of your goddamn mind, son!?" a grizzled old veteran that bore an almost eerie resemblance to his old master shouted back. "Esdeath-sama gave us express orders he's to stay like that until his body rots! I'm not touching that with a five meter pole!"

This comment earned him a chorus of laughter from his fellow smokers, and a hateful look from Tatsumi. Still, now that the moment of madness had passed, he realized it would be insane to invoke Esdeath ire over her treatment of a dead man. On the other hand, he could not bear to look at the thing for a moment longer, and so, he turned away and limped towards the broken citadel gates as fast as he could. All he wanted was to get out of this goddamn city, even if it was for no more than a moment.

XXXXX

The thing that struck him, as he wandered through the streets of the city, was how empty it was, save for the occasional soldier leaning against his spear in the hope of getting some rest. Apart from the girl and the prince, he'd yet to see a single northerner. Had Esdeath marched them all out of the city already, including the ones that did not come from the countryside? Surely, she realized that thousands would die of starvation and cold if she did something like that? Dammit, he should've asked River while he had the chance.

A growing sense of dread filling his stomach, he was so deep in thought that he didn't even notice it when a large, horned shadow fell across the ground in front of him, and so, he was nearly thrown face-first into the snow when a huge hand slapped against his back.

"Look who's decided to return to the land of the living!" Daidara exclaimed as Tatsumi slowly turned around, grimacing. If the pain in his leg could have been translated into words, they would have been more obscene than anything that could be found in the dirtiest of brothels.

"So, you're still alive, huh?" Tatsumi said, doing his best to sound pleased.

"You kidding?" the big man laughed. "If I got done in by a bunch like this, I'd have no choice but to kill myself!"

"Where's Nyau?" Tatsumi asked, forcing a smile on his face.

"Dunno," Daidara shrugged. "Probably off someplace cutting someone's nose off. Wanna spar?"

"I'm kind of inconvenienced at the moment." He pointed at his bandaged leg.

"Oh yeah, I heard the princeling managed to scratch you before he went down," Daidara said, bowing down to get a better look. "Shame really, you missed the best part of the battle...but then again, you got to the best opponent all to yourself, so I guess you did alright." Laughing, he slapped Tatsumi's back again, causing another jolt of pain to run through his leg. "Now tell me, how did it go down with the prince? Was he just lucky, or did you mess up? Did he beg for his life? Come on, don't leave a buddy hanging!"

"I don't really remember anything," Tatsumi lied, while wishing it was true. "Sorry."

Daidara frowned. "That sure sucks. Oh well, don't go running off like that the next time. When we first found you, I thought Esdeath-sama might bring the entire citadel down around us – gave me a good scare."

"Yeah, yeah, I won't," Tatsumi grunted. Goddamn, he needed to be alone right now … but there was something he needed to know first.

"Daidara?"

"Yeah? Changed your mind about sparring?"

_Is fighting all this guy ever thinks about? _"No. Where are all the captives? Have they all been moved out of the city or something? I've barely seen a single one since waking up."

Daidara looked at him for a moment, looking oddly … perplexed. "Captives? Wait, you mean nobody's told you?"

"Told me what!?" Tatsumi demanded, growing increasingly impatient, not to mention worried. A sneaking suspicion he'd not quite been aware of until now suddenly began to emerge at the back of his head, making his armpits grow sweaty, despite the chilling wind rubbing up against his back.

"Doesn't really matter…" Daidara finally shrugged. "If you wanna see those losers, they're all out there." He pointed out of the city, before abruptly turning and walking away.

"What are they all doing out there!?" Tatsumi yelled, but the big man didn't seem to hear him, and after a few seconds, he was gone.

Muttering to himself, Tatsumi turned towards the edge of the city and limped on, encountering nobody except a few soldiers busy looting a warehouse. Most of the houses he passed seemed to have been picked clean already, with the exception of those that had burned to the ground, and those were not exactly few in number. Bloody hell, where did Esdeath expect all the captive northerners to stay until they were rebuilt? Had she erected some kind of gigantic prison camp during the two days he'd spent unconscious?

The edge of the city looked more like a warzone than anything Tatsumi could've imagined before leaving his village. Broken piles of ices were still lying all around, the remains of Esdeath's onslaught. Many bodies remained here, stripped of everything but their undergarments. For the first time, Tatsumi felt a little appreciative of this northern climate, otherwise the smell would have been unbearable.

As he crossed the broken palisade, the wind began to blow harder, and the never-ending snowfall picked up, limiting his line of sight to a radius of little more than a dozen meters.

_Can't see shit … where are they all? _he wondered, holding his hands up in front of him to shield his face from the bites of the freezing air. Was this another one of Daidara's stupid jokes? There wasn't even anyone here…

Without warning, his foot got caught by something, and this time, he _did _fall face-first into the snow. Letting out a stream of curse words that would have made his old master proud, he pushed himself up on his knees and wiped his face with his sleeve, before turning around to see what had tripped him.

The sight was so bizarre that it took several seconds for his brain to process it, but when it did, his blood turned to ice, his eyes widened, and a single trembling breath escaped his bluish lips. Sticking out of the snow, no more than a meter behind him, like some deformed, dead plant…was a human hand.

"…_and I will bury this place and its inhabitants so deeply that nobody will ever know it even existed." _

"No," he whispered, refusing to believe the harsh truth smiling mockingly at him. Responding to his emotional turmoil, Hermes awakened to wrap itself around him protectively, dulling the pain in his leg. With lighting speed, he began to dig, throwing heaps of snow away for each passing second. In a moment the hand's owner was freed from his cold grave, a man somewhere in adulthood, his body as stiff as a statue.

"Hey, wake up!" Tatsumi yelled, letting Hermes disappear so that he could get a feel of the man's frosty skin. It was even colder than he'd expected, but he still desperately rubbed the man's cheek in a futile attempt to heat it.

"He's dead, Tatsumi."

His hand fell as the cold words reached him, and he turned his head slowly to see Esdeath stand behind him, her arms crossed.

"He's been dead for more than a day," she continued, her expression stone. "Put him down."

"How many?" Tatsumi asked quietly.

Esdeath shrugged. "Every combatant captured, plus the majority of the city's civilian population? I'd say between three hundred thousand and half a million."

Tatsumi stared down at the frozen man's face. His dead eyes reminded him of those glass balls that hung from the ceiling in the chief's house. In summer, when the doors were always open, the wind would often sneak inside and make simple music by making these balls hit each other, over and over.

"Tatsumi, you really should put him down." Esdeath's voice said, closer now.

"How could you do this?" he asked, not even raising his gaze to look at her. "All these people…"

"What, you were expecting me to invite them to our victory feast?" Esdeath asked, even closer now. "This is war, Tatsumi. They needed to know the price of defying the empire." Her hand touched his shoulder, her fingers moving to grasp it.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he screamed, slapping her hand away, before rolling to his feet, his leg screaming in protest. Esdeath did not follow him, choosing instead to remain where she was, her pale eyes betraying nothing.

"Tatsumi, you've ruined your bandages," she finally said, pointing a finger at his thigh, where the many strips of white cloth were unravelling. "Let's go back to the citadel and fix it. I'll listen to everything you have to say afterwards."

"Shut up," Tatsumi growled, feeling a spark of satisfaction at the fleeting look of surprise on Esdeath's face. "I'm leaving, and you can't stop me."

"Perhaps not," Esdeath admitted, her blue gaze briefly touching the silvery bracelet on his wrist. "But what I _can _do is reach that village of yours within a few days, and even if _you _can run forever, they cannot."

"If you threaten them one more time…" Tatsumi growled.

"You'll do what?" Esdeath inquired. "Kill me?"

Roaring with fury, Tatsumi shot forward, calling upon the speed of Hermes without making the armor materialize. Using every last bit of the strength he'd built up these last few months, he pounded his fist into Esdeath's stomach. Hissing in pain, she struck him with the back of her hand, sending him into the ground. Landing on his injured leg, the pain slowed him just enough to give Esdeath the time to get on top of him. Her eyes blazing, she grabbed a fistful of the black fabric of his collar. He tried hitting her, but she blocked it with her free arm like it was nothing, before slamming his head down into the ground. They continued to wrestle for maybe another ten seconds, before she finally got hold of both his wrists with one hand, and forced them to the ground above his head.

"Calmed down yet?" she hissed, her voice thick with one-half anger, and another half arousal.

"Go to hell," Tatsumi snarled, echoing his words from their first meeting.

"You sure like to repeat yourself, don't you?" she said. "I'm starting to see I've committed myself to some project here, but don't worry, I'm not the type to give up at the first adversity, or the thousandth for that matter."

"These people didn't deserve this! They were _innocent! _THEY HAD A RIGHT TO LIVE!"

Throwing her head back, Esdeath laughed at the sky. "Right?" she snickered, looking down at him with what almost seemed like pity. "That is nothing but an illusion, Tatsumi, a reality entirely dependent on the power of the one claiming to have it. Living is a _privilege, _one that can be taken away at any moment, like these northerners."

"You're a monster," Tatsumi whispered.

"No, I'm an _animal,_" Esdeath whispered back, her free hand tracking the line of his jaw. "You think you're not? No, you think this world is divided into good and evil, but these ideas are as arbitrary as those supposed rights of yours. When the mountain pass is blocked by snow and the last dog has been eaten, every moral code is thrown out the window. In this world, there are only people with the will to do what is necessary to survive, and the ones who don't, and I'm afraid I cannot allow you to join the latter category." Leaning down until their lips was all but touching, her hand closed around his throat possessively. "So … what's it going to be? Will you sacrifice the lives of everyone you love for these childish ideals, or will you do what you need to protect them?"

_I have a choice, _he thought. If he activated Hermes now, he had at last a fifty-fifty chance of getting away. He could run back to the village and…and…and then what? Where would they go? Esdeath was descended from some of the greatest hunters this world had ever seen – even if he somehow managed to convince every last member of his village to leave the homes of their ancestors, they wouldn't last three days on the run. The only way out for him was to kill Esdeath, but as much as he loathed every part of her callous speech, she was right about one thing: she _was _stronger than him.

Sensing his resignation, the corners of Esdeath's mouth rose victoriously, and she let go his wrists. When he did not move to attack her, she got up and brushed the snow off her uniform. "Now that we seem to have come to an understanding, I think we'll return to the city. If your injury becomes permanent because of all of this, I'll be extremely displeased."

"As you wish," Tatsumi said, his voice as hollow as a rotten spruce. As he got back up, he nodded at the corpse he'd dug up. "Want me to put him back where he was?"

Following his gaze with hers, Esdeath studied the frozen man with perfect indifference. "Not necessary, the snowfall will take care of that. Now come, we need to take a look at that leg before you ruin yourself for life."

XXXXX

Sleep did not come to Tatsumi that night, even after Esdeath had forced him to take all kinds of anesthesia for the pains in his leg. No matter how much he tried to just empty his head and drift away, it didn't work. At the very least, Esdeath had not insisted on them sleeping together, but bizarrely enough, he almost missed her presence beside him, if only to take the sting away from the terrible loneliness he was feeling. Sayo and Ieyasu, had they reached the capital by now, or had they even left the village at all, after what had happened? The carefree days they had once spent together seemed like an entire lifetime ago.

Finally, he gave up, rolled out of the bed, put his boots on, and quietly left the dark room. At this point in the night, even the most spirited of the many feasts going on in the citadel had died out, and the soldiers had all fallen into a drunken slumber, with the exception of the few poor souls on guard duty. Thus, Tatsumi ended up wandering the quiet halls until his legs finally brought him out into the cold of the courtyard, with the exception of a lone guard sitting huddled in front of a fire. Figuring he didn't have anything better to do, Tatsumi decided to join him, sitting down on a stone bench on the other side of the flames.

"Really cold tonight," he said, unable to think of a better ice-breaker.

The guard said nothing.

"So, uh … you stuck here all night?"

The guard said nothing.

"Ehm…hello?"

The guard still said nothing, prompting Tatsumi to rise up, and pace angrily around the fire. "Hey, asshole, I'm talking to you," he snapped, kicking the man in the shin with his uninjured leg, but still, the guard said nothing. In fact, Tatsumi couldn't even hear him breathing…

_What the…? _

Maybe the anesthesia was to blame, but somehow he had completely overlooked the aura of killing intent coming up behind him – until now. Whirling around, he bought himself just enough time to deflect the dagger aiming for his back, grabbing the wrist of his attacker with both hands, which left him open for blows by the assailant's free hand. Needless to say, his opponent seized this opportunity, delivering a savage punch to Tatsumi face. Blood flowing from his mouth, Tatsumi stopped the second blow by using his weight to throw them both forward, sending them tumbling into the fire in a heap of sprawling limbs.

"Son of a bitch!" he yelled as they rolled out over the snow-covered ground, smoking like grilled meat. The man attacking him was wearing the uniform of the empire, his face hidden behind a close helmet. The sight of one of his supposed comrades trying to take his life, the barrel of emotion that had been continuously filled up during this horrible day was ignited, activating Hermes. Now empowered by his teigu, Tatsumi seized his attacker by the throat with a fist of metal, before throwing him several meters across the stone courtyard. If not for the snow softening his fall, the man would undoubtedly have died, but as it was, the helmet was just enough to save him a broken neck.

"You bastard," Tatsumi snarled, launching himself at the traitor before he could even being to get up. With the tip of his metal clad boot, Tatsumi viciously kicked the man in his face, tearing away the helmet's visor. Grabbing the front of the traitor's grey uniform, Tatsumi hoisted him up while lifting his other hand to prepare for the final blow.

"Do your worst, serf of the empire," the man whispered, blood running down the side of his face.

Recognizing the accent of the northern tribes, Tatsumi's arm froze where it was. Looking down at the man's gaunt face, he couldn't help thinking he had seen it somewhere before.

"You're one of the northerners," he said, his arm still poised to strike.

"Correct," the man answered calmly. "Do not hesitate now. Go on, make your leader proud."

Tatsumi did not, because he had finally realized where he'd seen the man before. Instead, he lowered his arm, saying: "I know you. You were the one who struck the prince from behind when Esdeath challenged him two days ago. How on earth are you still alive?"

"You will get nothing from me," the old warrior said, his face a mask of stoicism. "Kill me and be done with it."

"No," Tatsumi said, taking a step back while releasing Hermes. "I've killed enough of your kind already."

His mask of stone giving way to surprise, the northerner slowly got to his feet. "What is your game, boy?" he inquired, lifting a gloved hand to his temple to stop the flow of blood.

"I don't know how you managed to stay alive these past few days," Tatsumi said, "but I'm pretty sure I know why you're here now." Lifting his arm, he pointed to the center of the courtyard, where the silhouette of Numa Seika's dead body could barely be seen, floating in the dark like a ghost. "You're here for the prince's body, aren't you?"

"That is no way to treat the body of a lord of the north," the northerner said, his eyes betraying intense sadness for just a moment.

"I agree," Tatsumi said quietly. "Which is why I'm going to help you."

"Help me?! _You_!?" the northerner cried, his eyes widening with disbelief. "Was it not you who killed him?"

"He didn't give me a choice," Tatsumi said. "I went after him, thinking I could spare lives by forcing him to surrender…but looking back at it now, I suppose it was just a fool's dream. It was always going to end like this."

The old warrior studied him for a moment, no doubt assessing the truthfulness of his words. "Did he have his spear when he fell?" he finally asked.

"Yes."

"Then, imperial, you have my thanks," the northerner said, bowing his head.

"What for?" Tatsumi asked, confused.

"For giving him what he wanted…and for keeping him out of that demon's claws," the northerner answered. "You are right; there would never have been any mercy, even if my liege had surrendered. As it was, he did not have to witness the end of the North, nor suffer humiliation at the hands of your general."

Thinking of the thousands buried beneath the snow, Tatsumi could do nothing but agree with that. Esdeath's mind had been made up long before they even reached this place.

"I didn't want to kill him. Truth be told, I didn't even want to come here in the first place."

The old man looked at him, and for a moment, he resembled the chief so strongly Tatsumi thought he might die of homesickness. "You are…protecting someone?"

"Yes."

"I see."

XXXXX

Getting the prince down was the hardest part, but finally, they had him wrapped up in a blue cape the northerner had scavenged from the barracks. After that, it was only a matter of carrying the body through the empty city, avoiding the occasional guard, until they finally arrived at the outskirts of the city. The northerner had already prepared a sled and strapped it to a great elk.

"Where will you take him?" Tatsumi inquired as they gingerly lifted the clothed body onto the sled.

"There's a cave half a day's ride from here, in the wilds," the old warrior answered. "The final resting place of all lords of the north. I have watched over the prince since he was but a babe. Laying him to rest besides his father will be my final act in this world."

"You're going to kill yourself!?" Tatsumi asked, horrified.

"I should have died a long time ago," the northerner said tiredly. "Boy, what is your name?"

"Tatsumi."

"Well then, Tatsumi allow me to tell you a story," the old warrior said. "A little over a decade ago, I served Numa's father, Rama Seika. He was a proud man, and unlike his son, impulsive, and always eager to increase his reputation. One day, he heard of a warrior tribe, so fierce that they never feasted on anything but danger beasts. Despite my warnings that we ought to keep out of the empire, he decided to cross the border with his entire host and challenge the tribe. During the ensuing battle, he came face to face with the tribe's chief, one of the most formidable warriors I have ever seen. When I saw my liege lord about to fall before his sword, I fought my way up behind him and pierced him with my spear. With their leader incapacitated, this legendary tribe was slaughtered to the last man, or so I thought."

Raising his gaze, the old warrior looked at him with…regret?

"Tatsumi, that chief had the same face as the woman leading your army."

"You … you killed Esdeath's father?" Tatsumi whispered.

"Yes," the old warrior said, lowering his head again. "And now, it seems, I have paid for it. My only wish is that Numa did not have to suffer for the sins of his father, and mine. He would have led our people to a bright new age, had he lived."

"I'm sorry," was all Tatsumi could think of saying.

"As am I, for what I have unleashed upon you," the old warrior said, before offering his hand. Tatsumi took it without a word.

"Goodbye boy, and may your ancestors watch over you. I fear you will need their protection more than ever in the days to come."

Tatsumi watched the sled disappear in the snowfall, and then the tracks left behind, until they too, were gone. It was strange, he thought, how fate works. If the prince's father had not been such a prideful fool, if Esdeath had not decided to go hunting that day, if either of these choices had not been made, how many people would still be alive today? But…that was not the world he inhabited, and resigned to this undeniable truth, Tatsumi turned his back to the empty bloodstained plains and began his walk back towards the citadel as the first rays of sunlight began their journey across the sky to the east.

XXXXX

**AN: I always found it kinda funny how the manga pretty much glossed over the fact that Esdeath basically committed genocide up in the north. Even Tatsumi was like, "yeah, she might've murdered an untold number of innocent men woman and children, but then again, a select few of these people **_**did **_**off her old man". Anyway, with this, the first arc is pretty much concluded, which means we're finally going to the Capital, yay! **


	5. The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy

Upon seeing it for the first time, one might find it hard to believe that the glorious Imperial capital, a city without equal in the known world, had once been nothing but the idea of an obscure, young war chief, a product of the union between a drunk soldier and a whore. Still, this war chief had created a dynasty that had lasted for over a thousand years, and its greatest achievement, a huge city covering more than two hundred thousand kilometers, completely took Tatsumi's breath away as he laid eyes on it for the first time. The Northern capital was nothing but a rundown hole in comparison.

"It is quite a sight, no?" River shouted into Tatsumi's air as Esdeath forced the great beast they were riding to take a turn so sharp they were all nearly thrown off into the abyss, and Tatsumi tightened his hold on the long, alabaster spike protruding from the dragon's back. Yes, he was riding a Goddamn dragon, something that would have driven him mad with excitement only a few months earlier.

"It is," Tatsumi agreed. Even if its core had been corrupted, the imperial capital still looked magnificent from afar. The wall surrounding the Imperial palace was so tall that not even a dozen mountain bears standing on each other's backs would have reached the top. The ultimate symbol of power, it cast its grand shadow over the city around it, like a giant in a crowd of dwarves.

He only had the time to marvel at it for a few seconds more before Esdeath forced the dragon into a nosedive. Leaving his stomach behind, Tatsumi couldn't keep himself from yelling out loud as the marble courtyard of the citadel rose to meet them with alarming speed. Right at the moment Tatsumi became convinced they were all goners, Esdeath pulled the iron chain connected to the dragon's muzzle back with supreme strength. The dive was straightened _just _in time for the gigantic lizard to screech to a halt, leaving several long marks on the polished stone that would no doubt piss someone off tremendously before the day was done. Feeling like he'd just been turned inside out, Tatsumi jumped down to the ground, suppressing the desire to vomit. After a few seconds, the urge began to fade, and he straightened his back, looking around.

"Pay up, Nyau," he heard Daidara say, and he turned around to see a sullen-looking Nyau throw the big man a pouch of coins.

"What's that all about?" Tatsumi demanded, even though he was pretty sure he already knew.

"Just a little wager," Daidara answered, weighing the pouch in his big hand with a huge grin. "One concerning whether or not you'd vomit all over the place during your virgin tour."

"Oh really?" Tatsumi grunted, sending Nyau a dark look, but the midget only smiled innocently.

"Enough chattering," Esdeath chided as she used the dragon's right leg as a stairway to get herself to the ground. "River, fly this thing to the enclosure before Budo throws a fit. The rest of you, follow me."

"Yes, Esdeath-sama," River nodded, before taking charge of the beast. Tatsumi watched it until it disappeared over the palace wall, some hundred meters above them, scaring a bunch of guards senseless by the sound of their shouting.

"Tatsumi!" he heard Esdeath call, and with reluctance, he fell in behind her besides Nyau and Daidara as she walked towards the massive main entrance, guarded by no fewer than twenty men, all armored from head to toe.

"That's the imperial guard," Daidara muttered into his ear. "The best soldiers the empire has to offer, besides us, of course."

The guardsmen parted and bowed as they passed them, but Tatsumi couldn't help noticing a…cold of sorts emanating from them. If his gut instinct was anything worth its salt, there was little love lost between Esdeath and the imperial guard.

The inside of the palace was as just as grandiose as its exterior. The great hall they had just entered was probably large enough to encompass his entire village. A ton of government officials and rich-looking men were moving or standing everywhere, like the interior of an anthill, but they all got out of the way quicker than scared birds in a wheat field when Esdeath drew near. Just like the first time he had entered the encampment of Esdeath's army, Tatsumi attracted more than a few curious glances. Apparently, Esdeath and her closest subordinates were quite famous, and his addition did not go unnoticed.

Just like the palace entrance, the gigantic double doors leading into the throne room were guarded by a ton of soldiers from the imperial guard, and this time, nobody moved aside as Esdeath drew nearer. One of them slipped through a smaller door in the wall though, no doubt to alert the people inside of her arrival.

"Now, listen to me," Esdeath said as she turned to look at each of them, her gaze lingering on Tatsumi a second longer than the other two. "Once we're allowed to enter, say nothing unless you're spoken to. Leave the talking to me."

"Wait," Tatsumi said, realizing what was about to happen. "We're going to meet the emperor? Right now?"

"Yes we are," Esdeath grinned, her gaze travelling down his body. "And since I'm sure you're eager to make a good impression, it'd be advisable for you to close your fly."

Looking down, Tatsumi was mortified to see a piece of his underwear exposed. Hot blood flowing to his face, he quickly corrected his mistake while doing his best to shut out Daidara's thundering and Nyau's shrill laughter. Their merriness was cut short when the guard from before returned, telling them the emperor was expecting them.

"Remember…not a word," Esdeath warned as the double door was pulled open, revealing the throne room in all its glory.

Stepping out onto a blood red carpet that ran the length of the entire chamber, Tatsumi raised his gaze towards the podium on which the emperor had his golden throne, upon which there sat…a boy?

Seeing Esdeath kneel down, Tatsumi and the others followed suit. Still hardly believing what he'd seen, he glanced up at the emperor, a kid who couldn't possibly be more than ten years old. This was the person tasked with protecting and ruling millions of people? Ridiculous!

"General Esdeath," the boy began, his voice even more childlike than Tatsumi would have imagined. "We have been informed of your unprecedented success with your campaign against the Northern tribes, and have decided to reward you with ten thousand gold pieces."

"Your Highness is most generous," Esdeath answered, but the subservience in her voice sounded fake in Tatsumi's ears, not at all like the tone of someone addressing a person of reverence. Anyway…ten _thousand _gold pieces! That was enough to buy his whole village a thousand times over, and Esdeath had promised him a tenth of whatever reward they received.

_Looks like I've already achieved what I set out to do, _he thought, but he could not stop the picture of a frozen hand sticking out of the snow from appearing before his inner eye. If he remembered correctly, the chief had once said that blood money brought ill fortune on whoever possessed it. If Tatsumi were to tell him where it came from, he would never accept it.

"As per your orders, we spared not a single Northern soldier," Esdeath continued. "I was planning to bring you the head of their prince…but sadly, his dead body disappeared."

Tatsumi had done his best to play the fool the morning after his meeting with the old Northerner, but Esdeath's expression as she greeted him at breakfast had made it very clear where her suspicions lay, but since she had not done anything yet, he doubted he was going to face any consequences for this particular trespassing.

"Never mind that," the young emperor said, looking a touch uncomfortable all of a sudden. "We…feel that gold alone would not be sufficient to repay you for your loyal service. Therefore, we ask you if there might be something else you desire at the moment? Land or titles? Speak, and it shall be yours."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Esdeath said, bowing her head, "but I can assure you that for now, I have _everything _I desire.

Tatsumi, feeling his right hand grow unnaturally cold all of a sudden, winced, before looking down. An inaudible hiss of surprise escaping his lips, his eyes widened as he saw thin lines of ice appear from nowhere on his skin. They only remained for a moment before the heat of his blood made them melt away, but not before he recognized a very familiar Y-shape with two dots on either side of the foot. He'd seen this mark once before, on the morning before the battle for of the Northern capital. This shape that seemed to form a bird's face had been mere centimeters from his face as he awoke to find himself caught in an iron-like embrace.

He did not need to see Esdeath's face to know that it was wearing _that _smile right now.

"If you have no interest in furthers rewards, then perhaps a new assignment would be more to your liking?" a new voice said, prompting Tatsumi to raise his head. Out from the shadows of the emperor's throne, a man had emerged, a man with a barrel of a belly, and a long, grey beard that reminded him of the chief, but that was where the similarities ended. At the first glance, he might seem like a kind and wise old grandfather, but then Tatsumi _really _looked, and realized that there was a coldness in this man's eyes unrivalled by even Esdeath. Just watching him from afar was enough to give him the creeps.

"Prime Minister," Esdeath said, and this time, Tatsumi believed her when she lowered her head respectfully.

"Sadly, it appears the rebels of the south have finally infiltrated the capital," the prime minister continued, pulling a large chunk of beef seemingly out of nowhere, before bearing down on it like a wolf on a sheep. There was an awkward pause while he chewed and swallowed.

"A group of assassins known as "Night Raid" are responsible for the murders of several prestigious members of our society, including a relative of mine," the minister said, before pushing the rest of the meat down his throat in a single motion. Tatsumi thought for sure that he would choke to death, but the fat man merely licked his fingers and put his hands behind his back, as if what he had just done shouldn't have been physically impossible. "As such, it is His Majesty's wish that you turn your attention on these villains as quickly as possible, as their final goal is without a doubt to take his life." The minister put a fatherly hand on the young emperor's shoulder.

_I wonder about that, _Tatsumi thought, his eyes narrowing. He didn't really see how anyone could think that killing this shrimp would accomplish much.

"If it's His Majesty's wish, I will gladly do so," Esdeath said. "But if this is to be my next mission, I have a request after all."

"Speak, and it shall be yours," the emperor said.

"From what I've heard of this group, it appears they possess an unknown number of teigu," Esdeath began. "If possible, I would like to bolster my ranks with teigu users of my own."

"But, you already have three such warriors, do you not," the emperor said, twitching uncomfortably on his throne. Perhaps the thought of so much power being concentrated in one place made in nervous. "The three…eh, beasts?"

"Actually, there are four now," Esdeath said, gesturing at Tatsumi, who immediately tensed up. "But for the sake of Your Majesty's safety, and peace in the capital, I think six more are needed. If Your Majesty will grant this one request, I assure you that Night Raid will soon be but a memory."

The young emperor glanced up at the prime minister, who in response gave him an almost unnoticeable nod. "It is decided then," he exclaimed, lifting his scepter. "Prime Minister, I entrust the preparations to you."

"Your Majesty is most wise," Esdeath said, but the grin in her voice was as apparent to Tatsumi as blood in the snow. She and the prime minister had obviously played this boy like a fiddle for some time. It was as River had said: there indeed was a king of this country, but it certainly was not the little boy on the golden throne.

XXXXX

The first time Esdeath had met the prime minister, she had thought him to be little more than just another weakling unworthy of her respect. However, as the years had gone by, she had slowly realized that while he was physically inferior in every way imaginable, he was just as much a survivor as she was. The only difference was that his battles were fought with words and money, not muscles and steel, and just like she was the queen of her battlefields, he was the king of his.

"Every time I return to the capital, I can't believe you haven't gorged yourself to death already," she commented as Honest shoved a third cake down his throat, this one almost as big as his belly. They were alone in his office, her having instructed Tatsumi and the others to wait in her quarters.

"How rude," Honest snorted while licking white cream off his beard. "I assure you, I have every intention to live for quite some time yet."

"Your stomach ulcer might disagree."

"I have no such thing!" Honest protested, rubbing his belly. "Anyway, I just finished your report. You had a run in with Night Raid's local team on the way, didn't you?"

"They tried to ambush me while I was hunting alone," she said, remembering the event with fondness. "In the end, it didn't do much to help them. I was only able to secure a single teigu though."

"Ah yes, Hermes, one of my favorites," Honest said. "I take it you gave it to the newest member of your little posse?"

"Yes I did," she answered, smiling mischievously. "And he's handling it better than any of the weaklings you would have given it to."

"Oh really?" Honest said, raising one eyebrow in an expression of mild interest. "You have great hopes for this boy?"

"That's putting it mildly," she said dreamily, her thoughts wandering to the most beautiful pair of emerald eyes in the world. "In time, he might even be a match for Budo."

"Now _that _is something I'd love to see," Honest grinned. "But does his loyalty match his strength?"

"Let's just say that it took a _lot _of convincing for him to join me," Esdeath sighed, causing Honest's caramel eyes to narrow.

"Can he be trusted?"

"He has some quirks," Esdeath admitted, thinking back to Tatsumi's naïve rant after he discovered what had happened with the Northerners. "But until they've been straightened out, I have quite a durable leash to keep him under control, don't you worry."

"I'm never worried," Honest said as he pulled a file out of a drawer in his desk and placed it in front of her. "As I am always prepared."

"All the intel we have on Night Raid, eh?" Esdeath said, opening the folder.

"Yes. So far, we have four confirmed members, including an old friend of yours."

"Najenda," Esdeath whispered, running a finger across the sketch of the former general. Her former comrade had changed a lot in the years that had passed since their confrontation near the revolutionary army's headquarters. _I wonder if her eye still hurts. _

"As far as we can tell, she's the ringleader," Honest grunted. "Their recent effectiveness would suggest they have at last twice the members we know of, and there's an excellent chance they're all teigu users…which brings us to your little 'request.'"

"Consider it my reward for dealing with the Northerners so swiftly," she said sweetly, but with an undertone that held the promise of reprisal if she didn't get what she wanted. Even if they had worked close together for years now, she held no delusions of this man being her friend. If he thought it might be most profitable course of action, this man would stab her in the back without a moment's hesitation. Of course, this complete ruthlessness was the reason he was still alive, while so many of his political rivals were rotting in the ground, and why he was one of the few individuals she had any respect for.

"You'll get them," Honest said, a cruel smile stretching his lips, revealing two rows of repulsive, yellow teeth. "But in return, I want a couple of favors."

"Shoot," Esdeath said. Doing Honest's dirty work wasn't one of her favorite hobbies, but if she got six new teigu users out of it, she would do it without hesitation.

"First and foremost, I've been informed that the former prime minister, Chouri, is on his way here right now, no doubt intending to go launch a one-man political crusade against me," Honest said, popping a bottle of champagne, before emptying it in a single gulp. "I need him to disappear."

"Done," Esdeath said. It would probably be best to keep Tatsumi out of the loop on this one, though. If she remembered correctly, Chouri was a man of the people.

"Secondly, there seems to be a serial killer running rampant in our dear capital," Honest said, before belching loudly. "Do you know of Zank the Beheader?"

"He's the executioner at the imperial prison, isn't he?" Esdeath said, barely recalling the man. She had little regard for swordsmen who had their enemies delivered to them with their hands tied behind their backs.

"_Was_ the executioner at the imperial prison," Honest corrected. "A few months back, he stole the warden's teigu and disappeared without a trace. However, my sources tell me a man fitting his description has been observed here in the city these last few days. It looks like he's killing people indiscriminately, be they ordinary citizens or members of the capital defense forces."

"Let me guess," Esdeath said, leaning back her chair while crossing her arms and legs. "You want the teigu back?"

"With the body count Zank has built up, we can only assume Night Raid is after him as well. It would be…unfortunate if they were to catch him and retrieve it before we do."

_Sounds like a job even Tatsumi wouldn't sneeze at. _"I'll take care of it."

"Excellent," Honest grinned. "That teigu is another favorite of mine."

"So I can trust you to deliver the teigu users before the end of the month?" Esdeath inquired, her voice brimming with controlled excitement.

"Yes, yes," Honest said patiently. "As luck would have it, two such individuals are already present in the capital." Bending down, he retrieved two new files, before tossing them to Esdeath, who caught both in one hand.

"Seryu Ubiquitous," she read, looking at the one on the top.

"Quite a…_passionate_ member of the capital defense force," Honest said. "Currently, she's on guard duty for one of my supporters, but I'll have her report to you at once."

"And this other one?" Esdeath inquired, studying the second file with a frown. "A doctor? It's warriors I need, not scientists."

"I assure you, you'll find this _scientist _quite useful," Honest grinned. "He has a price for working under you, though."

"Which is?" Esdeath was not very fond of the idea of a subordinate making demands of her.

"Every member of Night Raid captured, dead or alive, to do with as he pleases," Honest said, with a twinkle in his eyes that did not go unnoticed by Esdeath.

_There's more to this than he's telling me. I'll have to keep an eye on this good doctor. _

"Fine, on one condition."

"Which is?" Honest asked, his eyes sporting that same, subtle threat her tone had contained earlier.

"Should Najenda be taken alive, I want a day alone with her in the torture room before the doctor gets her."

"Done," Honest said, his face distorted by a grin that made him look more like an animal than any danger beast she had hunted.

XXXXX

"Booooooooooooooooring…" Daidara yawned, as he lay on a mahogany divan that looked like it might crumble under the combined weight of him and his teigu at any moment, like a frail, old man trying to keep the roof of his hut from come down on top of him after a storm. "Hey Tatsumi, wanna spar?"

"Nope," Tatsumi said. For one, his leg hadn't fully healed yet, which meant Daidara might actually beat him (which would lead to nonstop, nerve-wracking boasting for the next three months). The other reason was that he'd sniffed out a codex listing the different teigu, which he was now completely engrossed in. "Go chop down a forest or something."

"Spoilsport," Daidara grunted, before going back to using the tip of Belvaac to pick his teeth. "Ugh, I just wanna kill something, you know? You think they'd let me fight the prisoners on death row if I asked nicely?"

Slamming the codex shut, Tatsumi turned to glare at his teammate. "Have you ever considered getting a hobby or something?"

"Hobby?" Daidara said, his pupil-less eyes somehow managing to look incredulous. "How the hell am I supposed to find time for that? I gotta level up my fighting skills!"

Tatsumi was just about to launch into a tirade that had been building up inside him for some time when Esdeath announced her return by sneaking up behind him and snaking an arm around his neck, pulling him into a hug so tight he saw black for a moment.

"You need to be more aware of your surroundings," she purred, and he felt his spine freeze as sharp, white teeth brushed against is ear. "Or you won't last very long at all."

"F-fine," he hissed, barely able to force the words out through the tightness of his windpipe.

"Uh…should I go into a different room or something?" Daidara inquired, the divan creaking with desperation as he got up into a sitting position.

"No need for that," Esdeath said while stroking Tatsumi's head absentmindedly. "We're leaving. You go find your comrades and wait for me in the courtyard."

"W-what about me?" Tatsumi grunted, doing his best to try to pry Esdeath's arm off his neck, to no avail.

"I have a special assignment for you," Esdeath said, letting go of him at last, grabbing his hand instead. "Something you might actually appreciate."

XXXXX

After witnessing the glory of the imperial palace, the city itself didn't really seem that impressive, but the sheer size of it still struck Tatsumi as ridiculous. Even on horseback, getting to the headquarters of the capital defense forces, a fortress of its own located in the city's northern district, took almost an hour. As usual, his uniform made him the object of numerous stares, and by the time they reached their destination Tatsumi wanted nothing more than scream at the people around him to mind their own Goddamn business.

"Well, here we are," Esdeath said as they got off their horses, leaving them to a pair of stable boys. "You wait here while I go inside and find your new comrade."

When Esdeath had told him six additional teigu users would be joining their group, he hadn't known what to think. If they were anything like the Three Beasts, his loneliness was here to stay, but…he still found himself hoping one or two of them would be _somewhat _like him, maybe even forced to work for the imperial army, just like him.

The wall beside the door on the main building was basically a cluster of wanted posters. Four of them really stood out though, both in size and rewards for kill/capture.

"Night Raid, huh?" Tatsumi muttered as he read the poster with the biggest reward, picturing some military-looking woman with short hair and an eyepatch. The second biggest reward was for the one who seemed to be clearly the youngest of the four, a dark-haired girl that couldn't possibly be much older than him. Still…that cold, empty look in her eyes was undeniably thoseat of a stone-cold killer. The artist behind this poster ought to give himself a pat on the back.

Turning around, he saw Esdeath exit the headquarters, followed by a young hazel-haired girl in the uniform of the capital defense forces, keeping the smallest dog Tatsumi had ever seen on a short leash.

"Ah, there you are," Esdeath said, looking extremely happy, which in Tatsumi's experience meant that someone else would soon be extremely _unhappy. _"Go on, introduce yourself to your new comrade," she continued, gesturing at the girl.

"Um, hello," Tatsumi said, offering his hand unsurely. The girl grabbed it without hesitation, her eyes sparkling with such enthusiasm that he felt almost blinded.

"Seryu Ubiquitous of the capital defense force!" the girl exclaimed, letting go of his hand and raising her own in a stiff salute. Tatsumi was somehow shocked to see the dog get up on its itty-bitty hind legs and give one of its own. It was both cute and bizarre at the same time.

"Tatsumi," Tatsumi said. _She seems nice enough, I guess. _

"I've already informed Seryu of your mission," Esdeath said. "You two will start the investigation while I take care of some business back at the palace. You will let me know the second you find something of interest, got it?"

"Yes, Esdeath-sama," Tatsumi said. Over the course of the last few days, he had become increasingly aware of how much Esdeath disliked formality between the two of them. As such, he had begun to strive to be as reserved as possible whenever she addressed him directly. It wasn't much, but the tiny twinkle of frustration in her eyes whenever he did this was the only thing that sparked even a flicker of contentment in him these days.

"Be sure to take good care of your new comrade," she said as she left for the stables. "And don't even think of going up against that killer without me there!" she shouted over her shoulder.

_A killer, huh? _Tatsumi mused, as he watched her leave. From what Esdeath had told him, the guy they were hunting had killed innocent people in droves, a true villain, if such a thing really existed. If this was true, he would be the first person whose death he would have no qualms about carrying out on Esdeath's orders since joining her. Maybe this was the start of something better.

_Yeah, right. _

"So, Seryu," he said, turning to his new partner and her faithful mutt, "what do you know of this Zank guy?"

The innocent joy washed away like footprints in the sand, Seryu's eyes hardened into stone. "He's an evildoer without equal, and for the sake of peace in this capital, he must be stopped at any cost!"

"Well, you're the detective here," Tatsumi answered, noting the underlay of visceral hatred in her voice. Could this Zank have killed someone close to her? "What do we do now? Do you have any leads?"

"Yes," she said eagerly, pulling out a small map of the capital from her belt before laying it out on the ground. Hunching down, Tatsumi saw that several spots had been marked with a red X, most of them located in a cluster in the eastern district.

"These are the spots where the killer's victims were first discovered," Seryu explained while moving a finger over the different marks.

"I see," Tatsumi said. "Then logically, Zank's hideout should be located somewhere around here, right?" He tapped the approximate center of the cluster.

"Exactly!" Seryu exclaimed. "If we go there, the light of justice will surely shine upon this creature of the darkness sooner or later!"

"So… should we start by asking the locals if any of them have seen a big man with a metal eye on his forehead walking around lately?" Tatsumi suggested with a sweatdrop.

"No need for that," Seryu said, patting the dog, which had just been standing still as a statue until now, on the head. "To Koro, the stench of evil is as apparent as the smell of decay. He will lead us to this villain in no time."

And just like that, she grabbed his hand and began to march down the street, dragging both Tatsumi and the dog along behind her.

XXXXX

To say that Dr. Stylish had readied the red carpet for her was an understatement. As she stepped into his laboratory, a room nearly as large as the entirety of her own quarters, Esdeath was welcomed by not only the doctor himself, but also a small army of ludicrously dressed individuals. Most of them looked like they'd been taken right out of a gay nylon-fetishist's wet dream, while the ones standing closest to the good doctor could probably have made it big by founding a travelling freak show. In comparison, the doctor himself looked almost normal.

"Welcome, dear general, to my lab," Stylish exclaimed as she halted a few meters from the group, spreading his arms to the side. "We have been expecting you!"

"I noticed," Esdeath said dryly, letting her gaze wander over the doctor's small army. If they were Stylish's subordinates, then soon they would be hers as well, a fact she was not quite sure should make her happy. If these harlequins could fight, she supposed she ought to be happy, but as far as she could tell, they all looked as brittle as melting ice. On the other hand, if there was one thing she'd learned during her career as an imperial officer, it was rarely wise to judge a book by its cover.

"I must admit, I expected to speak with you in private, doctor."

Stylish snapped his fingers, and in a matter of seconds, his subordinates had practically evaporated, melting into the shadows like wraiths.

_Not bad. _With her trained senses, Esdeath could still feel Stylish minions all around her, but a lesser woman would have never known they were there. Perhaps the good doctor would not be as useless to her cause as she had expected.

_If that's the case, my first order of business should be to confirm where his loyalties lie… and win it, should it not be with me. _

"Your subordinates are quite obedient," she commented.

"They should be," the doctor chuckled. "I take great care to groom each and every one of them. In many respects, they are like sons and daughters to me."

To Esdeath, the dishonesty in his voice was as evident as snow in winter, but she was sure his minions ate it up. Having your subordinates fear and respect you was sufficient in most circumstances, but only if you made them love you could you _always _count on them to take a bullet for you.

"Your teigu is a support type is it not?" she inquired, taking a seat on the nearest chair. "Perfector?"

"Stylish, aren't they?" Stylish grinned, holding up his gloved hands in front of him. "With these, I can heal almost any injury in a matter of minutes."

"Really? I don't suppose you'd like to give me a demonstration?"

"I would love to," the doctor sighed, straightening his glasses, "but as you can see, there's a shortage of horribly injured people in this room."

Holding out her hand, Esdeath made a two-meter spear of ice appear out of nowhere. With an almost unnoticeable flick of her wrist, she sent it soaring towards a very specific spot in the shadows above them. Before the good doctor could even raise an eyebrow in surprise, one of his more muscular underlings came crashing down on the floor, her little creation lodged deeply in his abdomen.

"There," Esdeath smiled, lacing her fingers together to support her chin. "Problem solved."

"Oh my," Stylish muttered, sending her a reproachful look as he knelt down beside his whimperingservant. "Was that really necessary, Esdeath-sama?"

"If you're to show me what you're capable of, then the answer is yes," Esdeath grinned. "What's the matter doctor? Afraid you're not up to the task?"

Answering her challenge by with a grin as wide as her own, the good doctor bowed down and went to work.

XXXXX

By the time they had reached the hunting grounds of Zank the Beheader, Tatsumi's uniform looked more grey than black, due to Seryu having practically dragged him across the ground a good portion of the way. Doing his best to retain some measure of dignity, he brushed the worst of the dust off his uniform while his new partner unleashed her dog.

"Are you serious?" Tatsumi said as the little animal pressed its snout to the ground and began to walk in circles. "There's surely been a thousand people through this street just today! How's he supposed to pick out Zank's trail, if he's even been here, that is?"

"Koro is a weapon of justice," Seryu lectured, sounding eerily like his old mentor for a moment. "If there are any villains nearby, he'll find them!"

Tatsumi frowned. "Weapon? You mean… the _dog's _your teigu?"

"Yes… _look, _he's got something!" Seryu exclaimed as the mutt began to run down the street as quickly as its short, stubby legs could carry it.

"Go, Koro, find the sinners!" Seryu urged, while Tatsumi looked around to see if anyone was watching this ridiculous display. Thankfully, the sun had all but disappeared behind the skyline, and not many were out in the streets.

As they pursued the dog/teigu, it lead them into stillnarrower and narrower alleyways, until the walls were so close to each other that Tatsumi could almost have touched both with his two hands. Garbage and wastelay everywhere here, filling the air with such a stench that Tatsumi thought he might throw up. How could people even live like this?

Finally, Koro lead them out into a more open space, running over to what looked most of all like an abandoned warehouse, clawing at the sealed entrance with his tiny paws.

"Hah, you see now!" Seryu said proudly, scooping her little companion up in her arms to pat him on the head. "Koro always comes through!"

"Yeah, yeah," Tatsumi said doubtfully, trying his best to peek through one of the boarded up windows, to no avail. "I can't see anything. Why don't you stay here and guard the entrance while I make a sweep around the building and enter through the–"

He was interrupted as Seryu took a decisive step forward and smashed the wooden door with her right heel, knocking it clear off its hinges.

"Or I guess we can just march through the front door," he said, wondering if anyone inside a radius of ten kilometers had somehow not heard that.

"Justice does not sneak around," Seryu snorted, striding into the shadows of the old building.

"You do realize that referring to yourself as a philosophical concept is weird, right?" Tatsumi commented as he stuck his head through the doorway. As far as he could tell, the main room was all but empty, besides some rotten boxes here and there. "I know you're police and all, but don't you think you're taking this a bit far?"

Ignoring him, Seryu put Koro back down, and immediately, the mutt scurried forward, into the shadows. Cursing inwardly, Tatsumi followed the Seryu as she stalked after her teigu. Finally, they were met with another door, this one comprised of rusty metal.

"It's cold," Tatsumi noted, feeling a chill travel up his arm as he placed his hands on its hard exterior. "What is this?"

"Looks like a cold room for food storage and such," Seryu said, pulling a gun shaped like a tonfa from her belt. "Open it up."

It was heavy as a boulder, but even without borrowing Hermes's strength, Tatsumi managed to push it open somehow. No sooner did it open, then a breeze of thick, cold air rolled over them, making their breaths crystalize as they escaped their lips. For a moment, it was too dark to see anything, but as their eyes adjusted, a horrifying sight revealed itself.

"Oh God," Tatsumi whispered. Hanging from the ceiling, like rows of monstrous dolls, were human corpses, men, women and children. Thin layers of frost covered their pale, naked bodies like an extra layer of skin. Not one of them had a head.

"A den of evil," Seryu said solemnly. "I told you, Koro is never wrong. The killer must have realized it was unwise to leave the bodies in plain sight, so he began to bring them here instead."

"Yeah," Tatsumi agreed, feeling his stomach turn. After everything he'd seen, perhaps this shouldn't have bothered him as much as it did, but was just so Goddamn _irrational. _The sheer lack of reason and purpose behind the killings other than cruelty for cruelty's sake made it even more revolting than the butchering of the northerners. Slowly, like water in a heated bowl, he felt his chest began to boilwith anger, suppressing the apprehension. The man who had done this had to die, and he had to die today, before he did this to anyone else. The only problem was, even if they had found this place, Zank would have no reason to return before he had found himself another batch of victims.

"What do we do now?" he finally asked. "Wait for him to return so that we can ambush him here, or do we try to track him down before he commits more murders?"

Seryu didn't answer.

"Seryu?" Turning around, he was alarmed to see that both his new comrade and her mutt were gone. Exiting the cold room, he was just in time to see a caramel mane of hair disappear out the broken entrance.

"Hey, where are you going!?" he shouted, trotting after her. "Stop!"

For fuck's sake, what was up with this girl!? Couldn't she just listen to him for two Goddamn seconds!? Speeding up to a full sprint, he jumped out of the unhinged door just as the last bit of sunlight yielded to the darkness.

In the middle of the abandoned workplace, there was a man, and Seryu was clinging to him like a newborn calf to its mother, squealing with such delight that left Tatsumi perplexed.

"Daddy!" she screamed, rubbingher face against the fabric of his coat. "Daddy, daddy, _daddy!_"

_Daddy…? _Raising his gaze, Tatsumi looked directly at the man's face… and his breathing stopped.

"Daddy, huh?" the man chuckled, raising a large hand to run it through Seryu's brown bangs, the large, metallic eye on his forehead glowing like a lamp. "What a sweet little girl."

"GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER!" Tatsumi roared, ripping his sword from the hilt on his back.

"Oh?" Zank the Beheader said, studying Tatsumi with a pair of blue eyes so dark they almost seemed black. "There's two of you, eh?"

"I won't warn you again," Tatsumi said slowly, pointing at the tall, blond man with the point of his sword. "Let her go, and you just might survive this night."

"Hmm… what to do…" Zank mused, his hands still absentmindedly playing with Seryu's hair. "Surrender to this shitty brat and go quietly to the gallows, or kill said shitty brat here and spend the rest of the evening with this gem of a girl… ah decisions…"

Lunging forward, Tatsumi mapped the upcoming strike out in his head. Feint for the teigu on his head, which the man was no doubt eager to protect, then change direction at the last possible second and tear Seryu away from him.

Unhurriedly, almost lazily, Zank raised his free hand, a short, thick blade emerging from the sleeve of his coat. Not even bothering to let go of Seryu, he blocked Tatsumi's strike with ease, before kicking the youth in the stomach so hard he was sent tumbling across the ground. Wheezing like a popped balloon, Tatsumi got back on his feet, clutching his aching stomach.

"Spectator," Zank grinned, tapping the metallic eye on his forehead. "I know your every move before you make it kid. As long as I have this, I see _everything. _How else would I know you little kids were snooping around?"

"You fucker…" Tatsumi snarled. Fine then, if this bastard could read his movements, he just had to make said movements too quick for the teigu to read them.

"**HERMES**!"

Answering his call, the ancient armor embraced him more tightly than any lover ever could, dulling every pain. Sheathing his sword, he began to close in on the bigger man again, before letting his wrist blades emerge.

"Oh, looks like we share some gimmicks," Zank said, retracting his own blade. "But as much as I'd like to play with you, I think I'll take a different approach this time." Looking down, he raised Seryu's chin with a finger until she were looking him in the eye. "Baby girl?"

"Yes, daddy?" Seryu answered dreamily.

"Do you see that weird man over there?" Her brown gaze moved to Tatsumi, prompting him to halt.

"Yes, daddy. What about him?"

"He's an evil, _evil _person who wants to separate us again," Zank whispered, moving up behind her while placing his hands on her shoulders. "But you'll protect daddy, won't you?"

The blank look in Seryu's eyes gave way to darkness, and Koro, who had been standing idly and unsurely by until now stiffened up.

"Of course I will, daddy," Seryu hissed, raising her finger at Tatumi. "Koro… _**kill!**_"

Like a monster from a grandmother's cautionary tale, the little dog began to convulse like a madman, before growing to the size of elephant in the time it took Tatsumi to draw a surprised breath. The next moment, he was flying through the air after having barely avoided a deathblow from the organism-based teigu.

"_Shit,_" he hissed, circling around the beast with the speed of a bird in flight. "Seryu, snap out of it already!"

"**Kill!**" Seryu shrieked. "**KillkillkillkillkillKILLLL!**"

Koro responded by slamming a massive fist into the ground, throwing Tatsumi off balance before he could reach the two. Before he could regain his momentum, something slammed into his shoulder with such force he was thrown down again. Looking up, he saw smoke reek from Seryu's tonfa gun.

"That's a good girl!" Zank laughed, grinning like a shark. "Happy, happy~!"

Rolling to the side, Tatsumi barely avoided Seryu's next salvo, before throwing himself away to put some distance between himself and her rabid teigu-dog.

_You may be bigger than me, but you're freakin' slow as hell, _Tatsumi thought, kicking Hermes into high gear as he went straight for Koro's rage-filled face. Uttering a silent apology to his mind-controlled comrade, he buried the wrist blades in Koro's eyes to the hilt, before launching himself away before the blinded beast could grab him. Moving so fast everything around him became a blur, he speed towards Seryu and Zank, dodging every bullet sent his way like he had Belvaac in flying mode so many times.

"Sorry," he muttered as he delivered a controlled punch to Seryu's temple, not enough to kill her, but definitely enough to knock her out. Keeping up his momentum, he locked Zank's waist between his arms, driving them both forward into the nearest wall, which shattered like glass. Rolling to a stop in the middle of an office of some kind, they began to fight as the vertigo dissipated. Having been protected by his armor, Tatsumi came to first, slamming his knee into Zank's stomach, only to be met by hard muscle. The serial killer responded by swiping at his head with one of his blades, but its edge grinded harmlessly against the armor. Replying in kind, Tatsumi lodged one of his own blades in Zank's shoulder, a savage feeling of satisfaction flowing through his body as he felt it sink into sinew and flesh, twisting it around.

"ARGH!" Zank roared, ripping the blade out with the adrenalin-induced strength, before kicking Tatsumi away. Rolling to his feet, Tatsumi retracted both blades, catching his breath as Zank pushed his large body up from the dusty floor. Crimson blood flowed from the hole in his coat.

"Not bad, kiddo," the big man hissed, grimacing as he pressed a hand against the wound on his shoulder. "Looks like I captivated the wrong brat."

"That's not the only mistake you made," Tatsumi said, flexing his fingers. "We're just getting started, you murderous fuck."

"So much anger…" Zank chuckled. "But is it really all directed at me? Are you sure there's not someone else you're even madder at?"

"What are you babbling about?" Tatsumi growled.

"As I said, Spectator sees _everything, _including everything that goes on inside that head of yours," Zank grinned. "Your eyes, every little contraction in your facial muscles, I can read them all, and they tell me I'm not the only one here with a few skeletons in the closet."

Crossing the distance between in a split-second, Tatsumi rammed his fist into Zank's complacent face, relishing the feeling of the man's nose breaking beneath his knuckles. Moving so fast it looked like he had a dozen arms, he dished out a series of vicious punches at Zank's head and upper body. Before the killer could even think of responding, he was lying with his back against the wall, watching his own blood drip from Tatsumi's hands through bloodshot eyes.

"Ow," he hissed, grimacing. "You hit hard, kiddo."

"We're just getting started, _old man,_" Tatsumi said, grabbing hold of a fistful of coat, pulling Zank's face closer. "If you're lucky, you'll end up in a cell tonight."

"Just one question," Zank said, red liquid trickling out between his yellow teeth. "What do you do about the voices?"

"What?"

"The voices…" Zank repeated, his eyes widening until they looked ready to pop out of their sockets. "The screams of the ones you've murdered… the sounds from the throats you've slit! How do you drown them out? How do you keep your mind quiet? Tell me. _Tell me!_"

"You're insane," Tatsumi said with contempt. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh really?" Zank said, a bloodied grin stretching his lips. "Then let's put that to the test, _shall we_?"

Like a flower blooming, the metallic eye on Zank's forehead opened, revealing a glowing, green crystal. Before Tatsumi could as much as blink, it flashed with a light so strong it seemed to burn his eyes, and he instinctively let go of the killer's coat to shield them. Hearing Zank's laughter resound in his ears, he blindly kicked the place where his head had been a moment ago, but all his boot made contact with was air. Opening his eyes, he blinked once or twice, before examining his surroundings.

"What the hell…?"

Zank was gone, and so were both the room he'd just been in, and the city it had been located in. Right now, he was standing in the middle of a field without end, white snow reaching almost to his knees. No matter where he looked, he saw nothing but white on black, as the sky was dark as a dungeon, making it difficult to see.

"_Shit!" _he hissed, blinking furiously, but no matter how many times he closed and opened his eyes, the world did not change back to way it should be.

_It's an illusion, _he decided. There was no way in hell this was real. He had to break the spell, fast, before Zank got the drop on him.

"You really are a coward, aren't you!?" he yelled, turning rapidly around, flinging his wrist blades this way and that. "Too scared to fight me? Running away? COME ON, YOU BASTARD, SHOW YOURSELF!"

No answer came, save for a… presence of sort, familiar, like a dream he couldn't quite remember.

He turned around.

Out there, in the darkness, someone was walking towards him, slowly and deliberately – taking their time. Reaching for his sword, Tatsumi squinted at the figure, trying to make it out. It was bigger than him, but far too small to be Zank. What sort of trickery was this?

The figure stopped maybe ten paces away, but it was still too dark for Tatsumi to perceive it clearly. He thought he could long, black hair flutter in a wind that wasn't there, but that was it. But as his heart began to beat faster, the hairs on his arms stood up and his legs grew weaker, it was as if the darkness was lifted for a moment, allowing him to see the figure clearly. A man… or more like the shadow of a man… dressed in broken armor and a tattered blue cape, with skin as white as the snow around them. Where there should have been a pair of decisive, grey eyes, there were only empty sockets.

They had been ripped out, like weeds from the ground.

"No," Tatsumi whispered, his sword sliding from his fingers. "No, no, no, no… you're dead. _You're dead!_"

The apparition said nothing, choosing instead to resume its slow walk. Tatsumi tried to back away, but his legs would not obey. Looking down, a soundless scream escaped from his lips as he saw a dozen pale arms emerge from the whiteness, bone-like hands clamping down on his lower limbs. He tried to pull away, but all he accomplished was pulling the arms further out of the ground, until pale heads with eyes of glass surfaced, screaming silent accusations at him through lipless mouth. Even with Hermes between them, their deathly cold feeling crept into his body, freezing him in place.

Then, they began to pull him down.

_No! _Tatsumi wanted to scream, but his lungs had already frozen. The darkness was growing thick and the apparition was towering over him, like the Grim Reaper himself, holding a rusty spear. As Tatsumi sunk deeper into the ground, it lifted the weapon with both hands, the tip pointing directly at his heart. Realizing the end had come at last, Tatsumi closed his eyes and thought of Sayo and Ieyasu, the sound of his mentor's thundering laughter, the great fire of the winter festival.

_Goodbye, everyone. _

Feeling the cold subside just a little bit, he waited for the end to come… but it never did. Opening his eyes, he saw that the snow and its ghost were gone, replaced now by a dusty office and Zank the Beheader, standing over him with a look of bewilderment on his face.

"W-what…?" the killer whispered, lifting a finger to touch the sword sticking out of his chest. Before he could do so, however, the veins in his face grew black as ink and his eyes milky. Tipping forward, he fell into Tatsumi's lap, the slithering sound of metal removing itself from flesh making him shudder.

With Zank out of the way, his killer was no longer hidden from Tatsumi's sight, and for a horrible moment, he thought the apparition had returned. However, after the initial terror, he realized that while the hair was black and long, the person standing before him was undoubtedly a girl – a girl dressed in plain black clothes save for a red tie, her eyes as crimson as the blood dripping from the sword in her hands. It took him only a moment to realize where he'd seen her before.

"Akame…" he whispered. "You're… Akame…"

Flicking the blood off her sword, the girl met his eyes with her own. As empty as they had been on the wanted poster, they wandered over his teigu armor, before growing hard as stone, and then the metal of her sword was pointing at his chest.

"Servant of the empire… I consign you."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: While Seryu was probably one of my top five hated AKG characters for a long time, I've kinda come to like her recently, strangely enough. She just seem to have that Javert swagger, y'know?<strong>


	6. Old friends, New enemies

"Wait!" Tatsumi cried, lifting his hands up, palms forward.

"No," the assassin said, stabbing forward. Twisting his head to the side, Tatsumi felt a bolt of electricity zap through his nervous system as the black blade scrapedagainst his helmet, sending a shower of sparks over Zank's corpse.

Lunging forward, Tatsumi tried to tackle the girl like he had Zank, but the black-haired girl dodged him with such speed that all he could do was to gape in astonishment. Whirling around, plunging one of his wrist blades into the ground to kill his momentum, he saw her ricochet off the wall to his left before launching herself at him like a bullet. He barely had the time to deflect the blow, using both blades to form an X that stopped the assassin's blade short.

_Murasame, _he thought, sparing himself a quick glance at the slender sword. It had been one of the first mentioned in the codex he'd found in Esdeath's quarters. _If she so much as nips me with that, I'm dead. _

The armor gave him a distinct advantage, but if he were to maintain it for much longer, using his speed was out of the question. The beating he had taken from Seryu's bullets and breaking through the wall has taken its toll on the teigu. If he were to draw more power from it than he already was, it would revert to its bracelet form.

_And I'll stand no chance. _

"For fuck's sake, wait a minute!" he snapped, pressing the girl a step back. "I don't want to fight!"

"Then die," the assassin replied, planting her foot in his stomach, sending him reeling backwards.

"Oh, fuck me," Tatsumi grunted as she stalked after him, relentlessly raining blow after blow down on him. It wasn't long before she began to score hits on his shoulder, his stomach, his wrist, and with a growing sense of panic, Tatsumi felt Hermes's breaking point grow nearer. Without his speed, he just could not keep up with her. Not since his first fight with Esdeath at the village had he felt this outmatched.

_Need to think of something – FAST! _

Drawing just a modicum of extra power from his teigu as the black blade came flying for his head, he miraculously caught it with his right hand. Her red eyes widening, the assassin tried to yank it loose, but holding on for dear life, Tatsumi maintained his grip.

"Okay," he breathed. "Why don't we just-"

He was interrupted as she jumped right over him, still holding the handle of her sword, before landing on his shoulders with cat-like grace. Immediately, she began pounding his helmet, first with her free hand, and then with her knee.

"_Get off!" _Tatsumi roared, feeling the fear in his mind give way to anger. Moving backward, he tried to slam her into the wall to knock her off, but she saw it coming and jumped down on her own, twisting his wrist in an unbelievable painful way as she did so. Tatsumi was helpless to stop it as he felt the blade slip from his grip.

"What the hell do you want?" he hissed as they began to circle each other again. "I'm telling you, I don't want to fight!"

"Too bad~" a sultry voice mewed into his ear, and before he could react, something slammed into his hip with such force that he was thrown out of the hole he'd punched through the wall earlier. His muscles aching, he saw a normal-sized Koro nuzzle a still unconscious Seryu in his peripheral vision. Turning to look at the nearly ruined office building, his heart sank as he saw Akame and another girlcome through the hole, this one obviously a few years older, with long golden hair and…cat ears?

"Alright lad," the new girl grinned, her ridiculously oversized boobs bouncing up and down as she slammed two paw-like fists together. "Time to die."

Cursing inwardly, Tatsumi tried to get to his feet, but before he could, the feline lady shot forward and punched him in the gut with devastating force. Every iota of air being pressed out of his lungs at once, he would've collapsed where he stood, if she had not swept around him and locked his neck between two arms as strong as iron.

"Okay Akame!" she shouted, tightening her grip until saw the corners of his vision begin to grow dark. "Let's end this!"

"Hai," Akame said, her eyes growing dull as she lifted Murasame to eye height, parallel to the ground. Thrashing around like a madman, Tatsumi did his best to break out of the newcomer's grip, to no avail. She was strong as an ox, and Hermes had nothing left to give. Like sweat, it evaporated from his skin, leaving him completely open to Akame's teigu. There was not even enough air left in his lungs for him to cry out in defiance, as the dark-haired assassin shot forward to end him.

_BANG!_

Twirling out of the way, Akame avoided the bullet by a centimeter or two, blocking the following ones with her sword. Turning his eyes in their sockets, Tatsumi felt a wave of relief as he saw Seryu back on her feet, her eyes blazing even more intensely than her guns.

"_**Night Raaaaaaid!**_" she hissed, pumping the triggers like there was no tomorrow. Exploiting the sudden distraction, Tatsumi opened his mouth and bit down on one of the cat girl's arms.

"_Ouch! _Really!?" she cried out, before tightening her hold on his neck even further, making his bones _creak. _Plunging his heels into the ground, Tatsumi smashed the back of his head against her face, relishing in the sound of her nose breaking. Feeling her grip loosen just a little, he slammed an elbow into her ribs, once, twice, thrice, until she finally let go.

"Quite the badass, ain't cha?" the girl said after having retreated to a safe distance, crimson blood flowing from her nose. "Ugh, where is Bulat when you need him?"

Glancing to the side, Tatsumi saw Seryu urge a newly transformed Koro forward, and despite how many times Akame cut it away, the beast's flesh continued to regenerate. For some reason, Murasame's power seemed to have no effect on the biological teigu.

"Okay, Boobs," he said, pulling out his own sword. "You and me."

"It's not polite to say that to a lady," the cat-girl replied, hunching down into a hunting stance. "Would you like me to teach you some manners?"

Letting out a roaring battle cry, Tatsumi surged forward. The cat-girl met him head on, aiming a ferocious kick at the side of his face, which he blocked with his elbow. It hurt like hell, but it was worth it, as he managed to slice up a good part of her stomach, the black metal cutting deep into the flesh. Withdrawing from each other again, they both clutched their respective injuries, panting like dogs.

"Ugh, that _really _hurt," the cat-girl grimaced, blood flowing out between her furry fingers. "But…" She removed the paw-hand from her wound, and Tatsumi's cursed silently as he saw it had already healed.

"TA-DA~!" the cat-girl exclaimed while doing a pirouette. "Animal King: Lionelle, healing every injury since 24 CE!"

"You've gotta be kidding me…" Tatsumi breathed, his arm hurting like a bitch. This just was just unfair. A quick look over his shoulder revealed that Seryu wasn't doing all that well either, all out of bullets now. Koro looked pretty beaten as well, struggling now to shield its owner from the dark-haired assassin's relentless attacks.

"Where do you think you're looking!?" the cat-girl shouted, lunging forward. Tatsumi blocked her claws with his sword, and even managed to score twice the hits she did as they resumed their duel, but every wound he inflicted was healed within seconds, while the ones he suffered remained. If this became a battle of attrition, it was very clear who would win.

"Seryu!" he shouted as he cut through the cat-girl's flesh for the umpteenthtime, only to see the damage undone a moment later. "If you've got something up your sleeve, NOW'S THE TIME TO USE IT!"

Their eyes met for a split second, and he was half reassured, half disturbed by the smile that formed on the girl's lips. "Roger," she said, before turning her attention back to her teigu.

"KORO!" she shouted, prompting the beast to stop short. "Activate secret skill…BERSERKER!"

Tatsumi felt his blood freeze in his veins as the biological teigu threw its neckless head back and let out a roar that felt like daggers in his ears. What little strength he had left in his legs was blown away like dust in the wind, and he felt his cheek slap against the ground. As far as he could tell, the two assassins were doing a little better, but not much.

"Akame, I think we're in over our heads here," the cat-girl shouted as an even larger Koro stepped forward, steam oozing from its red, metallic skin. "I vote we bail, NOW!"

Tatsumi saw the dark-haired assassin turn to look at him, and he could practically see the wheel turning in her head as she debated risking finishing him off, but then ultra-Koro lunged forward, and the decision was made for her. Evading Koro's gigantic hands by a hair's breadth, the two assassins retreated to the nearest rooftop, before disappearing in the darkness. Screaming in frustration, Seryu fell down on her knees, her nails leaving thin, red trails as she dragged them across her face. Meanwhile, Koro morphed back to his normal form, his exhaustion apparent as he fall over on his back, his little, fuzzy chest moving up and down like a pair of bellows**. **

"Good job, Fluffy," Tatsumi muttered, before blacking out.

XXXXX

When Tatsumi regained consciousness, Seryu was squatting over him, her eyes flooding like a river in spring**. **

"_I'm sorry_," she sobbed, big, fat tears dripping down his face like rain. "_I'm so sorry!_"

Taking a moment to contemplate over the fact that he was, somehow, miraculously still alive, he ignored her for a moment. It would seem that his strange dissonance of good and shitty luck was never going to let up. First, he had been conscripted against his will by a sadistic general that also seemed to love him for some inexplicable reason, and forced to murder countless innocents. On the other hand, this had led to him achieving his goal of earning money for his village in a fraction of the time he'd thought he would need. Now, finally, he had nearly been killed because of Seryu's carelessness, only to be saved by one of his supposed enemies, just for said enemy to turn around and try to kill him, which had led to Seryu saving _him. _

_Shit, I think my head is starting to hurt. _

"Seryu."

The girl looked down at him worriedly, probably expecting him to let her have it, and indeed, part of him wanted nothing more than rant at her for the next two hours straight…but he didn't. Maybe the paralyzing roar of Koro's earlier had something to do with it, but he was just too damn exhausted to get up, much less read Seryu the riot act.

"Stop crying."

Nodding, the caramel-haired girl quickly dried her tears.

"You owe me free drinks for the rest of your life…got it?" Tatsumi drawled, staring up at the now obscure sky.

"O…kay," Seryu sniffed, looking a touch bewildered.

"Nice to see that we finally agree on something," Tatsumi said dryly. He pointed at the ruined office, where Zank's corpse could still be seen, sprawled out in the shadows. "Get over there and collect the teigu. We need to get the hell out of here before Night Raid comes back."

Obeying without a word, the girl quickly retrieved the imperial arms, obviously taking great care not to look directly at the killer's twisted, pale face. By the time she got back, Tatsumi felt good enough to get up on his knees, but his legs still felt shaky. He had really burnt a lot of energy today.

"Need a hand?" Seryu asked unsurely, offering him the one that was not holding a sleeping Koro and Spectator.

"Sure," he said, allowing her to take his arm and lay it across her shoulder. "I just want to get the hell out here."

They walked like this for several minutes, Tatsumi did not feel like breaking the silence, and Seryu was obviously too worried to. After a while though, the quiet must have become too much for her to bear.

"Tatsumi?" she said, her voice small and apprehensive.

"Yeah?"

"About what happened before…" she began, her voice faltering.

"Your dad is dead, isn't he?" Tatsumi said. It felt more like a statement than a question.

"Yes."

"But you saw him just now, didn't you?"

She nodded. "I…I should've known that it was just evil tempting me…but he looked so _real, _a-and when he told me what to do, I didn't think."

"Obviously."

"It was more than that," she continued. "When I looked at you, you seemed _different, _dark and threatening. It was like I was staring at just another criminal, the kind I deal with every day."

Something about that statement rubbed Tatsumi the wrong way, but he didn't pursue it.

"The general is going to be furious with me," Seryu continued, tears once again apparent in her voice. "Joining her was supposed to be my chance to bring Night Raid to justice, but now she'll kick me out for sure."

_If she doesn't whip the skin off your back for trying to kill me first,_ hethought, a wry smile stretching the right side of his mouth. "Don't worry about that. There's no need to tell her _exactly _what happened."

Seryu turned her head to look at him, shocked. "You mean…lie to a superior? That is against the law!"

"I didn't say 'lie,'" he said, suppressing the desire to roll his eyes. "We'll just leave outthe part about you trying to grind me into mincemeat when she asked what happened. That's not lying…technically."

"A lie of omission is still a lie," Seryu said stubbornly.

"_Fine,_" Tatsumi sighed. "If you're so desperate to go back to chasing purse-snatchers or whatever the hell you were doing before we came along, I won't stop you."

Truth be told, he didn't feel like he owed her anything, but having someone who owed him in this team Esdeath was to form couldn't hurt. As things stood now, there was no one he could trust. Besides, after having felt the power of Zank's teigu himself, he supposed he could sympathize with her to a certain extent. Even now, he found himself constantly peeking over his shoulder, expecting the apparition to come walking out of the darkness.

_Something tells me I won't be getting much sleep tonight. _

XXXXX

By the time they reached the huge wall, surrounding the palace, Tatsumi felt good enough to walk without support. Despite some frosty looks from the guardsmen watching the palace gates, Tatsumi's uniform was sufficient for them to get through without too much hassle. They found Esdeath in her quarters, bowed over some sketches that were quickly swept away when they came through the door.

"Back so soon?" she asked, weavingher fingers together on the wooden desk in front of her. "I didn't expect to hear from you until…oh." She had noticed the teigu in Seryu's hand.

"We, eh…found him a little quicker than expected," Tatsumi said, taking the metal eye from Seryu and placing it in front of the general.

Picking it up and twisting it this and that way as she studied it, Esdeath said: "Going up against a more experienced user, even if there were two of you, was reckless. Why didn't you follow my orders and let me know you'd found him?"

Glancing at Seryu, Tatsumi saw her open her mouth, and then close it again, the conflict going on inside her so obvious that Esdeath would have noticed it at once if she hadn't been distracted by the teigu. Seizing the opportunity, Tatsumi spoke up before she made up her mind.

"I think it'd be more accurate to say that he found us. It was a close call, but we managed to bring him down. He was nothing compared to Night Raid though."

"What!?" Esdeath cried, her blue gaze piercing his like fallen icicles might pierce snow.

"They showed up when Zank was dead – the black-haired one, Akame, and some other girl that also wielded a teigu. We managed to drive them off though—barely."

"Then the Prime Minister was right about them being after Zank as well," Esdeath mused, throwing Spectator another quick glance. "He'll be most pleased to have that back. As for the two of you…"

She rose up and walk around the desk, still holding the teigu. Stopping in front of them, she studied them both for a moment, her face unreadable.

"You disobeyed my direct orders, but you completed your objective nonetheless," she said, her stone mask slowly fracturing into a smile Tatsumi might have described as warm if he didn't know her better. "You should be proud of yourselves."

Hearing that from _her _made Tatsumi feel nothing. Seryu, on the other hand, looked like she had over half a dozen different emotions bouncing around in her mind. Before she could decide to spill the beans, however, Esdeath put her hand on her shoulder.

"Especially you, Seryu," the older woman smiled as the girl looked up at her with unsure awe. "I'm sure your mentor would have been proud, had he still been among us."

A new stream of tears threatened to break out Seryu's eyes, but to Tatsumi's surprise, she beat them back, lowering her head.

"Thank you, general," she whispered.

Tatsumi's jaw nearly hit the floor as Esdeath went ahead and _ruffled _the girl's hair, chuckling. "Good girl. I can already tell it will be a pleasure working with you," Esdeath said. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I need to talk with Tatsumi."

_My god, she knows just what to say, doesn't she? _Tatsumi though as he saw the beginnings of worship emerge in Seryu's eyes as she looked up at Esdeath, before giving a strict salute. Sending him a grin full of neat, white teeth, the girl spun around and practically bounced across the floor to the door.

"Cute girl," Esdeath commented as the door closed behind her. Turning back to him, her trademark grin slowly spread across her face as she placed a hand on his chest. "Now… why don't you take a seat and get out of this while I check your wounds?"

"I'm pretty okay, actually," he said halfheartedly, already knowing there was no route he could take here that would not lead to him being shirtless within the next ten seconds.

"I insist."

Not even bothering with the buttons, he simply ripped off his black jacket, and then the white shirt beneath it, tossing them both to the floor before sitting down on the closest chair. Looking at his body in a mirror on the wall, he saw that the beatings he'd taken were evident in both red and purple on his pale skin. The worst was a long cut on across his shoulder, where Hermes had dug into his skin as he'd blasted through the office wall.

"Huh, so many scars on this beautiful skin already," Esdeath said wistfully as she ran a cold hand across his shoulder, prompting a shiver to run down his spine. "You'll have to be more careful in the future."

Tatsumi said nothing, remaining completely still as she got to work on his wounds, taking, in his opinion, much more time than she needed to disinfect them. It burned pretty badly, but after everything else he had been through today, it didn't bother him much.

"There," Esdeath finally said, after covering the last gash in some kind of creamy substance and tightly wrapped bandages. "You didn't hurt your leg as well?"

"No, I was lucky," he said. The injury in his leg would still take a week or two to heal, and had he hurt his leg again today, the damage might have been permanent.

"All the more reason why I should have been there," Esdeath sighed, playing with the brown hair falling down his neck. "Well, I suppose living with worry is just something I'll have to adjust to." Sneaking her arms around his chest, she brought him into a close hug, and he was loath to feel his heart rate quicken a little as he felt her breasts press against his back.

"If something ever were to happen to you, I don't know what I'd do," she whispered into his ear.

"I'm sure you'd survive," he said. Esdeath might have convinced herself she loved him or whatever, but if something were to happen to him, she'd probably find a replacement in no time.

"You underestimate my feelings," Esdeath said, as if she had read his mind. "_No one _has ever made me feel like this…and I doubt anyone else ever could. I know you're mad about a lot of things: the village, the northerners, but all that is behind us now. If…if you'd just open up to me a little-"

"Look," Tatsumi cut her off, staring frigidly straight forward. "You got me, and I'm in no position to refuse you anything, but don't pretend this is anything more than it is. I'm just another one of your _pets, _nothing more."

Esdeath was quiet for a long time, so long that Tatsumi began to grow cold to the very core in her arms. Then she slowly stood up, moving her hands back up his shoulders. "Okay then," she said quietly. "If that's how you want it to be, then bow forward…_now_."

He did as he was told, albeit reluctantly, stiffening as she ran a cold finger down the hollow of his spine, stopping as it reached his pants.

"These are really dirty," she commented as she flicked her finger at the unclean, black fabric. "I think you should take them off."

Fighting the scowl that wanted to form on his face, Tatsumi unbuckled his belt and let the lower part of his uniform fall to the ground, leaving him in nothing but his briefs and shoes.

"You're not done, Tatsumi," she said, one of her hands grazing against his right buttock. "Take it all off."

His hands nearly shaking from humiliation, he kicked off his boots, before pulling his briefs down in a quick, fluid motion. However, no matter what happened next, it was preferable to playing along with her little fantasy.

"Good boy," Esdeath said huskily. "Now turn around."

Resisting the urge to cover himself, Tatsumi kept his hands firmly at his waist as he turned his body. Looking through Esdeath rather than at her, he said nothing, nor moved a muscle as her blue gaze moved up and down his nude form. For what felt like hours, he stood like this, although it was probably little more than a few minutes. Finally though, she reached forward, tilting his chin just enough to make him look her in the eye.

"You're a survivor, Tatsumi. You'll adapt."

XXXXX

"Well, this sucks," Leone grunted, finally breaking silence after the two of them had been trudging through the forest for nearly half an hour. "Not only did we lose the teigu, but now that they know what I look like, I'll have to be ten times more careful every time I'm in the city. I won't even be able to have a quick drink without wearing a wig or something!" She kicked a rotten stump, turning it to wet splinters.

"With our previous successes, something like this was bound to happen sooner or later," Akame reasoned without turning her head, a gloved hand placed securely around the hilt of Murasame, ready to rip the sword from its sheath at a moment's notice. "Be thankful neither of us were killed."

"Yeah, yeah," Leone sighed. "That biological teigu was scary as hell. We were, like, _so _close to becoming dog food back there. I guess it was just a matter of time before the empire figured out that they'd need teigu-users of their own to fight us."

They walked in silence for a while, until Leone suddenly thought of something.

"Say, Akame, you usually don't go after non-targets when it's not needed, and that guy in the armor even said that he didn't wanna fight. Why'd you go after him so aggressively? I mean, I'm all for thinning the empire's ranks when the chance presents itself, but we don't even know anything about this guy."

"I know one thing," Akame said, the hand around Murasame tightening ever so little. "That teigu he was using? It doesn't belong to him."

"Oh?" Leone said, tilting her head curiously.

"It belongs to Raiko."

Leone stopped, drawing in a surprised breath. "The leader of the local team!?"

"Yes."

"Shit," she hissed, biting her lip. "You think they're…?"

"It is not unlikely," Akame said, her tone betraying none of turmoil that had to be roaring inside her. "It's been a long time since we heard from them, after all."

"Boss ain't gonna be pleased to hear that," Leone sighed.

They both kept quiet for the rest of the long walk to the hideout. Just as they were about to cross the final ridge though, Leone's heightened senses picked up something coming for them with frightening speed. Akame felt it too, beginning to pull Murasame from its sheath, but Leone stopped her.

"I'll handle this," she said, before spinning around just in time to seize the attacker by the throat as he lunged for her from the bushes.

"Gaaaahhhh!" the lean, green-haired youth gurgled, clawing at the strong hand holding him in a death grip. "Uncle, UNCLE!"

"You're such an idiot," Leone said, tossing Lubbock on his ass. "One of these days, Akame's going to cut your head off accidentally. Would groping a girl's breast really be worth that?"

"Of course!" the young man exclaimed, staring up at her (or her cleavage, probably) with fire in his eyes. "My fear of death is totally eclipsed by my love for the female body!"

"You may think that sounds cool, but no matter how you look at it, you're just a pervert," Leone sweat-dropped, before kicking him in the side. "Now get up, we gotta call a meeting right away."

XXXXX

As fortune would have it, the majority of the team was already gathered in the meeting room for some reason, standing in a loose half-circle around the boss, who was seated in a black sofa in front of the fireplace.

"Excellent timing," Najenda said as the three of them walked through the door, a single, purple eye following them as they joined the rest. "Any news about Zank?"

"Do you want the good or the bad news first?" Leone asked, scratching her neck. No one said a word as she brought them up to speed, but only the boss seemed unsurprised.

"I'm afraid your fears are well justified," their leader said when she was finished. "I just received word from the HQ an hour ago. With the exception of a single member, the local team was completely wiped out in an effort to assassinate General Esdeath."

A chill blew through the room as the name of the empire's strongest was mentioned. Bulat raised his voice: "Why on earth would they try something so risky?"

"Raiko saw an opportunity to eliminate the biggest threat to the revolutionary army, and took it," Najenda said. "He failed; it's as simple as that."

"And now it will be our responsibility to neutralize her, eh?" Mine mused, crossing her arms. "Is it true that she arrived this morning then?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so," Najenda said grimly. "I had hoped the Northern Tribes would occupy her long enough for us to do some serious damage, but now that she's back, we'll have to be more careful than ever. I do not doubt for a moment that she'll try to use our existence as a means to empower herself."

"We'll take her down," Akame said, raising her voice for the first time. "For Raiko…and the rest."

"I like the way you think, sister!" Leone grinned, slapping her friend on the back. "The local team only had two teigus, after all! Against our six, she doesn't stand a chance!"

"And what about us?" a new voice interrupted, prompting them all to turn their heads.

"Oh great," Mine, sighed. "The newbies are awake."

Moving to the side to make room for their newest members, Leone couldn't help but smile.

"Finally crawled out of bed, eh?" she asked, ruffling the spiky black hair on the male member of the duo. "About time."

"Excuse me for being poisoned," the boy grunted, straightening his white headband. The fact that he was already on his feet after having been so close to death was both remarkable and somewhat scary. Had they found him a day later, it would've been too late.

"It's your fault for trusting that whore just because she was pretty," his equally dark-haired companion snorted, touching the white flower fastened to one of her bangs. Her standing so tall and proud, Leone would never have guessed she'd been beaten and whipped within an inch of her life a mere week ago, thanks to her cloths hiding the scars. "I knew from the start you'd get us both killed sooner or later."

"Hey, we're both still alive, right?" headband-boy sulked. "Besides, it's your fault too for not dragging me away when she offered us free food. I was _starving!_"

"If the two of you are quite finished," Najenda said dryly, "then perhaps we can get on with this? You've had a whole week to think about the offer I gave you. What do you say?"

"Are you kidding!?" Headband-kid exclaimed, blowing up his chest. "Work in the kitchen under house arrest for the rest of our lives, or join a badass troupe of freedom-fighting assassins? Of course we're in!"

"Ah, _troupe!_" Leone snickered, slapping the boy across the head. "I love this kid!"

"Give it time," his companion said dryly. "He'll get on your nerves soon enough."

"It's decided then," Najenda grinned, raising a fist of iron into the air…literally. "Sayo and Ieyasu…welcome to the path of carnage."


	7. Killers like you

It seemed almost like the sky itself was mourning, grey as it was above an overturned carriage, or perhaps it was a sign of the world's apathy regarding the slaughter that had just taken place. Its windows smashed, its wheels broken, the vehicle looked not unlike the crimson corpses on their way to become covered by the snowfall.

"This sure is a rotten line of work," River sighed, his tone tinted with a shade of regret as he looked down on the headless body of the former prime minister.

"Oh yeah, you really liked that guy, didn't you?" Daidara said while using Belvaac to poke the dead guardsmen in the hopes that one or two might still be alive.

"If there ever was a man that was both a politician and a good man, it was him," River agreed, kicking Chouri's head with just enough force to send it into a muddy ditch beside the road. If they were going to pin this on Night Raid, they might as well make it needlessly messy. "Still, Esdeath-sama's orders take precedence over that fact."

Daidara laughed, patting his teigu with affection. "I'm just glad I finally got to kill something again. Hey, Nyau, are you done soon or what?"

"Coming~!" the boy chirped as he bounced over to his comrades, waving the newest addition to his collection like a trophy. "Look at this! Isn't she beautiful!?"

"Dammit, Nyau!" Daidara grunted, raising an enormous hand to block out the horrific sight. "Killing is one thing, but that stuff is just sick! Why do you think Tatsumi is always avoiding us?"

"Maybe he's had enough of your stinky sweat," Nyau retorted, sticking the ghastly mask into a satchel. "I just don't get that guy. Esdeath-sama showers him with her love constantly, and all he does is mope like a bitch."

River smiled wryly. "Something tells me his perspective on that is somewhat… different. Now, let's get these leaflets spread out. If we're lucky, Night Raid will take the bait and make our job a lot easier."

"I just hope we don't catch them all before Esdeath-sama gets her hands on those teigu-users," Daidara said as he pulled out the sheets of paper from his jacket. "She's been waiting for this opportunity for years."

"And when we add Night Raid's teigus to the collection, Esdeath-sama's army will be unstoppable!" Nyau grinned. "We'll be able to do whatever we want, such as nailing all those geezers that framed you, River!"

"Yes," the former general said quietly, studying the black owl upon the moon that was Night Raid's insignia. "Makes me wish Bulat was still around…"

XXXXX

"I have another assignment for you," Esdeath said, her tone striking Tatsumi as extremely nonchalant considering she had been nibbling on his face just a moment ago. Since their semi-confrontation a week earlier, she never seemed to miss a chance to invade his personal space. It had gotten to the point where he had begun to miss River and the rest, if only because he wanted someone to take the general's attention away from him for a moment.

"Yeah?" he inquired, resisting the urge to wipe his hand against his cheek to remove the phantom sensation of icy lips.

"The third member of the six-man teigu squad I requested from the prime minister will be arriving today. I'd like to go meet him myself, but I've been called in for a strategic meeting regarding the possible threat the western nations pose."

"So what, you want me to go meet him?" If it meant a whole day free of Esdeath, he'd gladly shovel manure in the royal stables for hours on end.

"Exactly," Esdeath said, fetching her rapier from a holder on the wall behind her desk. "Bring Seryu as well. It is important for the two of you to begin to connect as a team. I'm planning on hosting a little get-together in the evening, once River and the rest have returned."

"Fantastic," he said, almost managing to sound enthusiastic.

"Aww, don't be like that." She leaned forward and gave his chin a caress before planting a brief kiss on his left cheek. "I can assure you that it'll be more than worth the hassle.

XXXXX

Seryu was waiting for him with a couple of horses as he exited the palace gates, Koro nestled comfortably between her thighs. As Esdeath's new team had yet to be formed officially, she was still living in the barracks of the capital defense force.

"Tatsumi!" she cried joyfully, waving so hard she nearly fell off her saddle. "Over here!"

"Coming!" he shouted back, stopping briefly to return the usual scowls from the imperial guard. Jeez, he couldn't even breathe without these guys staring at him like he was a heap of dung.

"I was told we're going to the southern gate," he said as he swung himself up the stallion Seryu had brought with her. "You know the way, right?"

"Of course! The pursuit of justice has brought me all over this city!" Grabbing the reins with one hand, she pointed towards the east with the other. "Now let's go and welcome these fellow warrior of righteousness!"

"Could you… please stop that?" Tatsumi asked, sweat-dropping.

"Stop what?"

"Never mind."

The ride to the gate allowed Tatsumi to get a better sense of the geography of the city, as well as practice his horsemanship. Before Esdeath "recruited" him, he had ridden a total of three times, and during the northern campaign, he had mostly relied on Hermes to get around quickly.

The eastern gate was not nearly as enormous as the one leading into the imperial palace, but it was still hard to imagine an enemy force capable of punching through it before the dozens of cannons atop the wall annihilated them. The gate itself was massive steel. Closed, it should be able to withstand any battering ram, but currently it was open to allow a massive flow of people in and out of the capital.

"Are they closed at night?" Tatsumi inquired as they halted in the shadows beneath a life-sized dragon statue.

"Yes, for security reasons," Seryu said. "Evil thrives in the darkness, after all. It is imperative that we are always at our most vigilant then."

"You really take your job seriously," Tatsumi commented. "I mean, it's not like every petty thief out there is a menace to the entire public. Guys like Zank are few and far in between after all." _Or at least, that's what I used to think. _

"Let the raven steal a single grain of wheat unpunished, and it will pick the whole field clean," Seryu said, her eyes growing cold. "No matter how small, every corruption must be stamped out before it spreads. A thief is a thief – it matters not whether he's stealing bread or lives. They all have evil in their hearts."

"Or desperation."

Seryu seemed eager to answer that, but was cut short as a well-dressed, fair-haired individual separated himself from the crowd and stopped before them.

"Excuse me," the young man said, his voice slipping into their ears like calm, melodic music, "Could you possibly be General Esdeath's subordinates?"

"We are," Tatsumi confirmed, meeting the man's golden gaze. "You're Run?"

"I am," the man smiled, offering a courteous bow. "Thank you both for taking the time to meet me here. I'm afraid I'm not very familiar with the capital."

"Where are you from?" Tatsumi asked. The man did not look like your typical country bumpkin. In fact, he looked far more virtuous than any of the nobles he had seen within the palace.

"I'm from the Joyou province. I was serving as the governor's personal assistant and bodyguard when I received my orders to come here." A wry smile formed on the blond man's face. "She–the governor–was quite unhappy to see me go, but one does not simply refuse the prime minister."

"If I'm not mistaken, the Joyou province is quite remote," Seryu said, studying the man curiously. "How did you get here so fast?"

"My teigu makes me quite mobile. I assume the two of you are users as well?"

"We are," Tatsumi said, pulling back his sleeve to reveal the metal bracelet on his wrist.

"Say hi, Koro!" Seryu urged, and the biological teigu waved one of its tiny arms at the newcomer.

"I'm pleased to meet you and your partner," Run said. Any other girl would have blushed at that smile of his, Tatsumi thought, but Seryu apparently had no mind for that sort of thing. She simply beamed back at him.

"I guess we should get going," Tatsumi said. "Would you mind riding with me? We kind of imagined you'd arrive with a horse of your own. There's plenty of room." He patted the empty spot behind him on the saddle.

"Don't mind if I do," the newcomer smiled, before nimbly swinging himself up behind Tatsumi.

XXXXX

"GUUAAHH!" Ieyasu grunted as he was thrown on his back for probably the twentieth time that morning, his stomach hurting like a bitch.

"Your moves are too flashy," Akame chastised, keeping the wooden practice sword in her hands pointed towards the ground. "You need to focus on the kill, not the people watching, or you'll get yourself killed the second an enemy comes at you for real."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, massaging the spot where she had just rammed him. "Let me guess, too many thoughts?"

"Exactly."

"I take issue with that!" Sayo called from her spectator place on the wooden porch that surrounded the training grounds. "Saying that would imply that Ieyasu actually has a brain."

"Shut up, you!" Ieyasu snapped, shooting his fellow villager an evil look. "Shouldn't you be off filling grass dolls with arrows or something?"

"Already did that," the dark-haired girl grinned, leaning back to let the sun get a better angle on her face. "Some of us actually have the ability to wake up _before _midday, y'know?"

"Anyway, let's call it quits for now," Akame said, walking toward Ieyasu and offering her hand. "You still have not recovered completely from the poisoning. Pressing yourself too hard before you're ready would be a mistake."

"I'm fine!" he said, wishing he could do something with the river of sweat running down his back. "I just need to-"

"What you need is to relax for a moment," Akame interrupted. "We'll resume when you've built up your strength some more. Have a talk with Bulat about that."

"Yay," he muttered as she left, before getting to his feet and wandering over to Sayo. "Do the scars still hurt?" he asked as he sat down beside her, removing his shirt to cool down.

"A little, but the ointments Sheele has been applying are doing wonders," his friend said, rubbing her neck absentmindedly without opening her eyes. "Before long, I won't be hurting at all."

"Great. If only I could get back into shape, we wouldn't be deadweight anymore. Perhaps we'll even be able to find out what happened to Tatsumi."

It was extremely subtle, but he still sensed a tiny shiver run through Sayo's body at the mention of their lost friend. Her grief probably ran even deeper than his, and his grief was pretty damn profound. How long had it been since he'd first noticed those subtle signs? Sayo might think that he didn't see much, and compared to her, he almost surely didn't, but there were _some _things he'd seen that had completely slipped under her nose. Like the way her grey eyes had begun to linger on Tatsumi this past year… and how she always began fumbling with her hairpin whenever he approached her. He was willing to bet she _still _had yet to fully realize what this meant, even though it had been obvious to him for so long.

To be honest, he had found the thought scary. If the two of them had found something, wouldn't he and his antics suddenly become just a bother, the ever unwanted third wheel? Would hanging out with them become awkward until the point where he couldn't even stand it anymore?

Of course, _that _woman had put an end to that fear on that faithful day, leaving him and Sayo crawling around in the snow, with the Tatsumi nowhere to be seen. Despite the multiple detours they'd taken on their way to the capital, they had found almost nothing that could help them deduce their friend's location, and what little they had found had done zilch to raise their hopes. If anything, the many horror stories about the Empire's Strongest had convinced them it might be for the best if this "Esdeath" had just killed their friend and left his cadaver to freeze.

Sayo had always claimed to be the brains of the group, but if that was the case, Tatsumi had surely been the heart. During those nightmarish three days they'd spent in the clutches of that demonic family, the void that heart had left behind had made itself known. If not for the timely arrival of Night Raid, the two of them would have lost their minds without a doubt.

"He's still out there somewhere," Sayo said, interrupting Ieyasu's thought process. "And we'll find him, even if we have to challenge The Empire's Strongest herself to do it."

"One for all, and all of one, eh?" he grinned, feeling the fatigue in his limbs recede a little. "Well, if that's gonna happen anytime soon, I'm gonna have to whip myself back into shape. Wanna go for a run?"

Saving the usual derogatory remark that was just her way of expressing her affection for him, Sayo smiled at him for the first time in forever. "Sure, I'd like that."

XXXXX

"The hell is that?" Tatsumi asked, pointing at a tower of smoke rising in the distance, though clearly inside the capital.

"Looks like trouble," Seryu answered, forcing her horse into a turn so tight it nearly fell over its own legs. "Come, we must investigate!"

Using the black smoke as a beacon, the three of them quickly made their way past scores of terrified citizens, no doubt worrying about a potential city-wide fire. This led them into the industrial part of the capital, large warehouses and huge machines driven by the power of water and steam emerging all around them. Finally, they made their way into an open space where a large mob of what looked like workers were shouting their lungs out while throwing stones and empty bottles at a growing line of members of the capital defense force. The factory behind them was aflame – the source of the smoke.

"An accident?" Tatsumi voiced, bringing his horse to a halt.

"If that was the case, the workers would be rushing to save their livelihood right now," Run said, still atop the horse. "This appears to be a riot."

"_Criminals,_" Seryu snarled, dropping Koro onto the ground while pulling out on of her guns. "We must subjugate these sinners before the situation gets out of control."

"Hold on!" Tatsumi protested – grabbing hold of Koro's collar as the mutt began to trudge towards the billowy crowd. "You can't just unleash your teigu upon them! These are ordinary people!"

"They are out of line!" Seryu said stubbornly, making her horse advance on the chaos in front of them.

Feeling something thorny begin to stir in his chest, Tatsumi reached up and grabbed her reins, ripping them from her grasp.

"_You're _out of line," he said, his voice quivering with restrained anger. "Have you forgotten what happened last time you rushed ahead by yourself?"

Her unwillingness to meet his gaze was answer enough.

"I'll handle the crowd," he said, activating Hermes. "You go stop that fire from spreading."

Reluctantly, Seryu lowered her head, before jerking the reins back and galloping towards the burning building, Koro hot on her heels.

"Nicely done," Run commented. "The mob still needs dispersion though."

"I've got it," Tatsumi said through gritted teeth. Speeding forward, he took aim for the person who seemed to be in charge of the soldiers present, a tall, swarthy man with the rankings of an officer. Coming to a halt that kicked up a small cloud of dust into the air, he quickly got the man's attention.

"Sir," he said, presenting a quick salute that felt clumsy and unnatural. Esdeath never made him do it.

"Who the hell are you?" the officer demanded, then followed with: "Never mind, I'll take whatever help I can get right now."

"What's going on?" Tatsumi asked, inclining his head toward the mob not a dozen meters away.

"The official that owns the factory was murdered this morning," the officer said, his voice as gruff as a badger. "Popular bastard, as you can see. Without him, chances are this factory will have to close down, and thus its workers are up in arms about it. All evidence points to Night Raid, but they're convinced this is all a conspiracy on the part of the Prime minister. If they don't calm down soon, we're gonna have to start breaking skulls."

"Let me talk to them."

"Knock yourself out, kid," the officer chuckled, motioning for his subordinates to let him through their human wall. Stepping out in front of the raging masses, Tatsumi spread his arms to get their attention. "HEY, HOLD ON A MINUTE!"

The sight of his teigu seemed to have a somewhat calming effect on the crowd, but they still looked mad as hell. Before Tatsumi could say another word though, a tower of a man pushed out of the mob, clutching a leaflet of some sort in one of his hairy, calloused hands, and a hammer in the other.

"You!" the man roared, pointing at Tatsumi. "Let me guess, the Prime Minister sent you to silence us, didn't he?"

"Wha… NO!" Tatsumi protested, holding his hands up. "I don't even know what's going on! I came here on my own."

"BULLSHIT, YOU KNOW DAMN WELL WHAT'S GOING ON!" The man turned around, waving with his hammer. A second or two later, two other workers separated themselves form the crowd. Turning his gaze on them, Tatsumi's mouth grew dry as sand. The first of the two were carrying the pale, unmoving body of a respectably dressed man … and the other his head.

"NIGHT RAID?" the first man roared, holding up the leaflet for everyone to see. It took a moment, but Tatsumi quickly recognized the black owl. "Night Raid doesn't come out in the middle of the day, and they DEFINITELY don't brag afterwards! Maybe we're just lowly workers, but we ain't as stupid as you think!"

Glancing over his shoulders, Tatsumi saw another batch of soldiers arrive and take up positions – this time armed with guns. The ensuing bloodbath would be catastrophic if he didn't get the workers to back down, _right now. _

"I know you're all upset about what's happened" he shouted as loudly as he could, "but this isn't the answer! The people who murdered your boss will be brought to justice, even if I have to do it myself!"

The man with the hammer barked out a bitter, humorless laugh. "Great! While you're at it, could you give us our jobs back and bring the boss back to life?"

"No but-" He was cut off as he was forced to dodge a brick aimed for his head.

"THIS WAS THE ONLY PLACE AROUND HERE WITH WAGES HIGH ENOUGH TO FEED OUR KIDS!" a voice coated in growing desperation shrieked from the center of the mob. "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GONNA DO NOW?"

"YEAH!" the man with the hammer roared in agreement. "WHAT ABOUT OUR KIDS?"

Like the general of a routing army, Tatsumi the situation rapidly spin out of his control. The mob had whipped itself into a frenzy again, and the soldiers behind him had grown numerous enough to quit hanging back. Feeling his heartbeat quicken with growing panic, he searched for a way out, _anything _that would keep the ground around him clean of red.

In front of him, the mob prepared to surge forward.

Behind him, the soldiers raised their guns.

XXXXX

Still sweaty as a pig in heat from running when the boss called a meeting, Ieyasu had to jump into a freezing river to wash himself. After using approximately ten seconds to drive himself, he barely managed to reach the meeting room in time, droplets still falling from his bristlyhair as he went to stand beside Sayo.

"I'm amazed you haven't managed to get lost in the woods yet," his friend mumbled as Najenda went to take her usual seat. "Remind me to give you half a cookie later."

"Ha, ha," he drawled, even though that amazed him too, if he was honest with himself.

"Bad news, everyone," Najenda said, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees. "It seems the Prime Minister have gotten busy axing off his political opponents. I just received word that his predecessor's body was found up north, one head short."

"Isn't that the guy HQ wanted to bring back into officeif the revolution succeeded?" Leone voiced.

Najenda nodded. "What's worse is that the people who did this seem intent on framing us, and with the headway they're making, it won't be long until the masses starts to believe it. Our job will become much harder if the capital succeeds in turning the people against us."

"A man like Chouri wouldn't be travelling unguarded," Bulat said, his eyebrows forming a thin, wide V.

"Correct," Najenda nodded. "Thirty guards – slaughtered to the last man."

One could have heard a fly buzzing at the opposite end of the hideout during the silence that followed.

"Needless to say, only a select few individuals could have accomplished something like that," the boss finally continued.

"The Rakshasa demons?" Akame suggested.

"That is one possibility," Najenda concurred. "The other would be someone under Esdeath's direct command. Either way, the way forward is clear. The Prime Minister cannot be allowed to eradicate the few good men that remains in power within the capital." Rising up, their leader let her gaze touch each of them in turn, finishing with Sayo and Ieyasu. "We must kill these killers before they can strike again."

"A clash of assassins, eh?" Leone grinned. "I do like the sound of that, but how are we supposed to find these guys?"

"That's the bad part," Najenda said, her tone growing grim. "We'll have to count on them finding _us._"

XXXXX

In the days to come, Tatsumi would always come to think of what happened that day before the flaming factory as the closest thing to a miracle he had ever seen. The moment that beautiful, white feather passed in front of his face, all the panic and fear was washed away like footprints on a sandy shore, leaving only a quiet sense of wonder behind. Had it not only been a moment before he'd been thinking that he had failed yet again, powerless to do anything but watch as the bullets plowed through these desperate and foolish people like scythe through crops. But then again, if a man could fly, he supposed that was no wonder in comparison.

Having successfully captured the attention of every man and woman present, Run slowed the motion of his wings and let himself descend. Landing on light feet – his back to Tatsumi, he waited for a moment, before reaching out to the man with the hammer.

"I know how you feel," he said, placing a slender hand on the older man's big one. Even though he was probably twice Run's size, the big man did not resist as the teigu-user took the hammer from him, before dropping it on the ground. Just like all the people watching, he might as well have turned into a statue.

"I know what it's like to feel true despair," Run continued, moving his hand up to the big man's shoulder. "You say you're fearful for your children, but what will become of them if you die here?"

Upon hearing these words, it was as if the workers came alive again, but not like before. Tatsumi could still see hatred and anger reflected in their eyes, but the mob monster had been silenced by Run's intervention. Now, they were just people standing huddled together, looking at each other and the opposing side with uncertainty. At the rear, some of them were already starting to sneak away.

"It … it's not right," the man that no longer held a hammer finally said, stealing a gaze at his dead employer rather than look Run in the eye. "They're taking everything from us."

"You're still alive, aren't you?" Run said, turning his body sideways as to no longer block the soldiers and their guns from the man's sight. "Dying here will accomplish nothing, except turning your children into orphans. Is that what you want – to be relived of a responsibility you no longer feel you can shoulder?"

"No," the man said, still refusing to look him in the eye.

"Then go home," Run urged. "Do whatever it takes to get by until a better time dawns. As for your dead employer, I will do whatever it takes to uncover the truth behind his murder – I swear it."

Then, finally, the man looked Run in the eye, and Tatsumi didn't know whether to feel relief or disbelief when he saw him look at his new comrade with such _trust. _He himself could never have obtained that this easily, not in a thousand years.

One by one, the workers turned and began to silently wander away, taking their deceased employer with them. The factory that had been their workplace had been severely damaged by the fire, but Seryu had been successful in keeping it from collapsing completely, at the very least. To her credit, she looked completely exhausted as she trudged over to them, dragging an even more burnt-out Koro along by leash. Seeing her like this made Tatsumi soften up a little, and he made a mental note of buying her some sweats or something later.

"Nicely done," the officer from before grunted as he strolled forward to shake Run's hand. "It would've been a fucking mess if it hadn't been for you."

"It was my pleasure," Run smiled as he accepted the handshake. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind if I asked for a favor in return?"

"Sure."

"What was the manner of the official's death?"

Hearing this, Tatsumi perked up, watching the officer intently as he formed his response.

"Nasty business," the man finally said, shaking his head. "When we arrived, every last member of the household were already dead, no witnesses, nothing. The workers might not want to believe it, but I really don't see how anyone but Night Raid could've pulled off something like this."

"Of course it was them," Seryu interjected, every word dripping with venom. "Who else could've committed such dastardly acts?"

"Hopefully we'll find out," Run said, before offering the officer a quick bow. "Thank you. I hope your job will be easier in the future."

"Yeah right," the officer snorted, dragging a hand across his graying hair. "If it ain't bandits running rampant outside the city walls or pox doing so _inside _the walls, I can always look forward to taking shit from my superiors every time Night Raid nails another turkey, but hey, at least now I won't have to worry about getting stabbed in the back every time I take a stroll through _this _area." Shaking his head, the officer turned to take his leave. "No wonder Ogre started to lose it near the end.

"Hey," Seryu snapped, grabbing his shoulder before he could walk away. "Captain Ogre was a great man! Take that back!"

Narrowing his eyes, the officer looked first at Seryu, then at Koro, and then back at Seryu again. "I apologize," he said coldly, pulling his shoulder away. "I spoke out of term."

"I take it you knew the old captain quite well?" Run said as the officer marched his men out of the square.

"He was my teacher," Seryu answered, still glaringafter the officer with acidity in her eyes. "While he led the men, the streets were safe. If he can't see that, that man is an unworthy successor."

During the week Tatsumi had spent in the capital, most of his time had gone into collecting information on Night Raid's recent victims, just in case there were any patterns to be discovered. What little he'd managed to find out about Captain Ogre seemed antithetical to what Seryu had just said, but if she had known him on a personal basis, who was he to say she was wrong?

"Forget it," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder to turn her away from the object of her ire. "We need to get back to the palace."

"The rioters got off way to easy," Seryu muttered. "Captain Ogre would've shown them what it means to challenge the law."

"Well, I think things worked out pretty good," Run smiled. "Shall we go get the horses?"

As they continued their ride towards the center of the city, Tatsumi purposely hung back a little to get out of Seryu's hearing range. "Did you really mean what you said?" he said when he was confident she wouldn't overhear him. "About finding the killers?"

"Yes," Run answered, keeping his voice low. "I'm not confident I'll be able to do much even if I succeed though."

"How come?"

"If the captain was right about that group of assassins being the perpetrators, that'd be one thing," Run began, "but my gut instinct tells me the truth is of a much darker nature."

"What do you mean?"

The young man became quiet for a moment. "I'll tell you when no one else is around."

"Fine." He paused for a little while. "What you did back there … how'd you do it?"

"Flying? Obviously my teigu-"

"Not that," Tatsumi interrupted. "How could you stay so calm when so many lives were at stake? I didn't know what the heck to do, but you just _acted._"

"I am … used to dealing with unruly people," Run said, his voice containing a strange layer of both fondness and melancholy. "I suppose it's a matter of experience."

"Yeah," Tatsumi said, unable to keep an unnoticeable shiver from running through his arms as the picture of a boy of eighteen coloring the snow red flashed before his inner eye.

Esdeath was still not back when they reached her quarters. Instead, they found River and company waiting in the parlor.

"Hey, Tatsumi, you're back!" Daidara cheered. "And you brought friends! Wanna spar?"

_Unbelievable. _"Where the hell have you guys been?"

"Nowhere you need to concern yourself with," River said, rising to get a better look at the newcomers. "I take these two are the first of Esdeath-sama's new tegiu-users to arrive?"

"A pleasure," Run said, doing his trademark bow.

"Seryu Ubiquitous, at your service," Seryu exclaimed.

"Very good," River said, something almost reminiscent of a smile grazing his lips. "Esdeath-sama will return to us in just a moment. In the meantime, might I offer you a treat?" He held up a dish filled with red, salty-looking meat.

"Oh thanks, I'm…" _Starved, _was what Tatsumi meant to say, but his voice trailed off as he saw Nayu shake his head frantically, while Daidara dragged a thick finger across his throat. "… not really that hungry, so I'll pass."

"Oh well, these won't go bad in a while," River shrugged, putting the demon food back on the table he had retrieved it from. "Besides, I can always make more."

"Well, somebody just dodged a bullet," a sultry voice said, prompting six heads to turn as one. Esdeath was back, leaning her shoulder on the doorframe as she studied the small assembly with a wry smile. "If I'm not mistaken, River, I forbade you to ever touch kitchen equipment again after your last … attempt."

"Yes you did, Esdeath-sama," River said, bowing his head. "I managed without them this time."

"You sly, sly man," Esdeath grinned, shaking her head. "I suppose I can't punish you if you technically kept your word." Pushing herself away from the wall, she went to stand in front of Run; sizing him up as if he was some kind of prize-winning thoroughbred she considered buying. Looking away, Tatsumi had to fight the urge to step in between them.

"The governor had nothing but good to say about you when questioned about your competence," the aqua-haired general finally said. "I expect nothing but the best from you, flying man."

"I will do my outmost to repay you for the opportunity you've presented me with, General," Run said, lowering his head respectfully.

"I have no doubt." Turning around, Esdeath motioned for the rest of them to follow. "Come with me, there's somewhere we need to be."

Leading them deeper into the palace, past hordes of grim members of the imperial guard, Esdeath told them nothing until they arrived outside a large, gold-plated double door. Two armored men so big they made Daidara seem tiny in comparison were posted outside it, wielding halberds half again as long as them. Unlike the men of the imperial guard, they seemed to have no misgivings as Esdeath approached them, opening the doors for her without a word.

"Welcome," a booming voice exclaimed the moment they entered, and Tatsumi had to hide his chagrin as the Prime Minister himself waved them welcome from the end of the oblong mahogany table at which he was seated. "Come in, come in my friends! Have a seat and something to drink!"

Snapping his fingers, he called two rows of servants forward, each holding a plate of all sorts of drinks. Tatsumi reluctantly accepted a glass of kind of red liquid as he found himself a seat.

"Come on now, don't be shy," the fat man laughed, before gulping down a whole bottle of vine in one sip. "One should never discuss serious business with dry tongues."

"Spoken like a true man," Esdeath sighed, turning the substance of her glass into ice with a single touch, nearly breaking the precious crystal.

"Now, now," the Prime Minister chastised, wiggling a porky finger at the general. "There's plenty of time until nightfall – no need to hurry. Besides, you can't blame a man for wanting to observe the fruits of his investments, now can you?"

"What the esteemed minister is trying to say, is that he'd like a look at you before tonight's mission," Esdeath said, clearly making an effort not to roll her eyes.

"Mission?" Tatsumi voiced, before shutting his mouth abruptly, worried he had done something imprudent.

"Oh, you've yet to inform your dear subordinates about tonight's upcoming excitements?" the prime minister said, raising a grey eyebrow. "Very well." Pausing a moment to dry his mouth with a handkerchief, the fleshy man waited until he had the room's undivided attention.

"The city's nobles will be throwing a party tonight in celebration of the five-year anniversary of our beloved emperor Makoto's inauguration. Such a gathering will undoubtedly attract the attention of Night Raid, and so I would like the six of you to provide the security necessary to keep the guests safe and healthy."

Upon that last word leaving his mouth, Tatsumi noticed Esdeath's and River's gazes meet for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he felt something wordless pass between them. Either he was seeing things, or there was more to this than the old man was telling them.

"Of course, I will expect you all to have fun on behalf of Esdeath-sama and myself, as we will sadly be stuck in the palace, planning the future of the empire," the fat man finished, popping another bottle of colorful liquid.

"If I find that you've neglected your duties by getting yourself drunk, I will personally whip you until your spines are as naked as a common whore," Esdeath said nicely. Naturally, her tone could not have been more ominous if she had been screaming her lunges out.

"Oh well, I tried," the prime minister said, shrugging his shoulders helplessly. "I suggest you all enjoy yourself while you can. It appears you all have a _long _night ahead of you."

_That's putting it lightly, _Tatsumi grumbled inwardly, thinking of a black sword and the crimson eyes behind it. Why did he feel so certain he would be staring into them again before this day came to an end?

XXXXX

"Listen up," Najenda said, her eyes purple amethysts. "Half the upper-class of the capital will be gathered in one place tonight, included the few good men with the courage to challenge the Prime Minister. With so many people in one place, it will be the perfect opportunity for his assassins to strike. We must stop them at any cost."

Feeling his heart beat like the drums of war, Ieyasu tightened his sweaty hands into fists. This was it. His virgin mission.

"Bulat will be in charge of the operation," Najenda continued, stopping briefly to return a nod from the muscled man. "You will do what he says, _when _he says it. If our Intel can be trusted, Esdeath will not be present herself, but expect any of her tegiu-users to be waiting for you. Without a doubt, this will be our most dangerous assignment yet."

Raising her fist of iron, their leader gave them a stern look. "Are you ready to kill the enemy without hesitation?"

"Hell yeah!" Leone shouted, prompting the rest of roar in agreement.

"Are you prepared to die tonight, if that's what it takes?"

"Fuck no!" Lubbock yelled, earning a laugh from his comrades, and a smile from Najenda.

"That's what I want to hear," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Well then, let me feel some of that resolve, will you?"

A banging like thunder resounded throughout the room as the members of Night Raid slammed their weapons against the round table between them, happily ignorant of the fate that would soon catch up with one of them during the night to come.


	8. The Skirmish

"You've gotta be kidding me," Tatsumi said, unable to believe that the Capital could still shock him like this, but he just couldn't help it. The ship currently towering over him was a match for even the imperial palace itself in terms of sheer size and grandeur. The whole of his village would have had no trouble fitting on the main deck, and the dragon figurehead in the front could probably have swallowed the chief's house in one gulp, had it been animate. Even knowing about the teigus he found it hard to believe humans could build something like this.

"It appears the prime minister has no intention of being stingy with His Highness's little party," Run remarked as he stepped out of the carriage they'd arrived in. "A pity neither him, nor the young emperor will be present."

"Oh yeah, I'm sure he's just languishing about not being here when the bullets and swords start flying," Tatsumi said dryly. "Do you really think Night Raid will show up though? Seems like kind of a risky move for a group that only operates in the night."

"I guess we'll find out," Run shrugged. "Anyway, let's get on board. As the prime minister said, we have a long night ahead of us."

XXXXX

"Holy shit!" Ieyasu breathed, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. "Have you ever seen anything like that?"

"A boat?" the voice of Mine said behind him, prompting him to turn around to see her stand with that metal compartment thingy she definitely should _not _have been strong enough to carry slung across her back. "I hear you sometimes find them on the water, but I suppose such things are hard to come by in… wherever you come from."

"Yeah, we're not big on huge monuments where I'm from, yes," Ieyasu admitted, keeping his tone casual to hide how much the pink-haired girl irked him. Ever since Leone had brought them onboard, Mine had yet to say _one _kind word to him. "But what we lack in architecture, our women make up for…" He added a dramatic pause, which prompted the prickly girl to raise a pink eyebrow.

"With HUGE boobs!" he finished, pumping his chest to emphasize his point. To his delight, the flat-chested girl's face grew red as a beetroot, and she would no doubt have proceeded to pummel him if not for the timely arrival of the rest of the group, vaulting up from the shadows of the alley beneath them like shadows tired of hiding from the sun.

"Alright, gather around everyone," Bulat said, forcing Mine to make do with a rude gesture before she joined the circle.

"These are the people we need to protect," Bulat explained, holding up three pretty well-made sketches depicting a bald, elderly man, a woman in her mid-forties, and militaristic, younger man with a crew-cut and a jaw so big his neck had to be hurting constantly just from the sheer weight of it. "Since we have no idea when or how our enemy will strike, we have no choice but to keep tabs on all three at all times."

He passed the photo of the woman on to Akame. "You and Sheele stick with her. She's the only one who won't be bringing any bodyguards, so be ready to act on a second's notice."

"Noted," Akame said, taking a single look at the sketch, before handing it over to her slightly more forgetful friend, who proceeded to glare at it with such intensity Ieyasu was surprised it didn't catch on fire.

"Lubbock and Leone, you get this guy," Bulat continued, flicking the sketch of the younger man at Lubbock like a Frisbee.

"Not bad," Leone purred as she peeked over the green-haired youth's shoulder. "Maybe I'll get some tonight~"

"What, this guy?" Lubbock asked sourly, moving to crunch the sketch in his fist, but Leone's lighting reflexes were too much for him, snatching it from his grasp in the blink of an eye.

"I think I'll keep this as a souvenir," she said, rolling the piece of paper up before pushing it down her considerable cleavage.

"Finally, me and Ieyasu will watch the senior," Bulat said, placing a heavy hand on the youth's shoulder.

"What about us?" Sayo inquired, pointing her thumb at Mine.

"You guys take the high ground after we've boarded, since you're both best at long-range. Provide support if necessary, but if everything goes according to plan, I'm afraid you'll both be bored tonight." Smiling wryly, Bulat's usually cheerful face turned serious.

"Remember guys, there's a reason we're going all-out with this one. Don't lower your guard for a second, be sure to have your buddy's back no matter what, and we'll get through this like we always do."

Wiping an imaginary tear from her eye, Leone said, "Oh Bulat, don't tell me you were up all night practicing in front of the mirror for that? We really don't deserve you."

Immediately reverting to his jolly old self, Bulat let out a cordial laugh. "You got me there. Nice job ruining my fifteen minutes of fame, Leone."

"I love you to, you big, gay hunk," Leone shot back, prompting the entire group to erupt in guffawing, with the exception of Ieyasu, who was staring up at the 'hunk' in question in disbelief.

_Gay? _

"Alright people!" Bulat roared, raising Incursio above his head like a flag. "Who wants to go cruising?"

XXXXX

As the moorings were loosened, Tatsumi did not know whether to feel relieved or sweat up a storm. If Night Raid had not already infiltrated the ship, doing so now would be almost impossible. On the other hand, if they already had…

"I think it'd be advisable for us to split up," River said, bringing him out of his brooding. Looking at the former general, he once again thought of the look he had shared with Esdeath during the prime minister's little gathering. It vexed him that he had the feeling that the answer was well within his reach–he was just too stupid to see it, like a half-forgotten dream floating around at the edge of his consciousness.

"I agree," Run said. "But going off alone seems unwise, everything considered."

"Something cowardly like ganging up on a lone enforcer of justice is exactly what villains like Night Raid would do," Seryu agreed. "Luckily for me, I'm never alone." Smiling warmly, she scratched Koro behind the ear, causing the mutt to vibrate in pleasure.

"Indeed," River nodded. "Which is why I, Daidara and Nyau will be handling the ship's interior together, while the three of you keep watch out here." He gestured at the budding party on the deck around them. Waiters that seemed to float more than walk across the deck were carrying around refreshments and plates of the finest food Tatsumi had ever seen. Behind them, an orchestra was readying their instruments on an illuminated podium–an _orchestra, _for fuck's sake! The blatant contrast between the lives of the wealthy men and women around him and those of his friends back at the village was making his stomach turn. Before Esdeath's arrival, he would have been lucky if he got to eat some smelly bear meat twice a week.

"That's a lot of rooms to cover," he said doubtfully.

"We know what we're doing," River said, waving his comment away like a fly.

"Yhueah," Daidara grunted through a mouthful of lamb chops. "Whe'uh goth thif!"

"Whatever he said," Nyau said, rolling his eyes.

"Take care," Seryu shouted as the three black uniforms disappeared in the crowd. "Be wary of the corrupted!"

"I suppose it's us then," Run said. "I think I'll make a sweep of the ship every half hour so, starting now. Do you mind waiting here for two minutes?"

"Not at all," Tatsumi said, grabbing a drink from a passing waiter without looking. To hell with Esdeath. If Night Raid didn't show, he was getting drunk as a skunk.

"That's no good, Tatsumi," Seryu chided. "The general said-"

"I'm not deaf, thank you very much," he grumbled, emptying the glass in a single sip. It did not taste nearly as good as he thought it would.

"Alcohol is overrated," he said, tossing the glass over the side of the ship.

"Told you," Seryu said smugly.

"Shut up." The band had begun to do their thing, but despite the beautiful notes echoing across the deck, his mood was deteriorating by the minute. "Shouldn't you be having him sniff the bad guys out or something?" He pointed at Koro.

"Excellent idea!" she cried cheerfully, putting the biological teigu down on the deck. "Koro, find the evildoers!"

Without pause, the mutt began to sniff its way across the deck, scaring more than one fine-dressed individual as he snuck up against their legs.

"I'll wait for Run," Tatsumi said as Seryu sent him a questioning look, no doubt wondering why he was not following her. "You go on ahead."

To be quite honest, he felt a little bad about letting her out of his sight, but he doubted Night Raid would try anything while they were out in the open like this, if they were even here. Besides, he _really _wanted to talk to Run alone.

His older companion returned a moment later, making several of the guests shout in alarm as he swooped down on the deck, landing elegantly in front of Tatsumi.

"Nothing so far," he said, before looking up at the sky. "Then again, we still have some light."

XXXXX

"Is he gone?" Sayo asked nervously, her heart still thumping like crazy after seeing what she had for a moment mistaken for an angel pass across the darkening sky above them. If not for Mine's finely honed senses, they would definitely have been discovered.

"Yeah," her senior comrade muttered, peeking up from under the canvas they had slipped beneath at the last second. "We should stick to the shadows in case he comes back though."

Entering the ship unnoticed had been easy enough, since Bulat's, Lubbock's and Leone's teigu were perfect for climbing even a surface as smooth as the side of a ship, but after splitting up, things had gotten a lot harder. The ship was just _crawling _with people, and even though their identities had yet to be revealed to the empire, they weren't exactly dressed for the occasion.

"Do you know anything about the teigu that man was using?" Sayo asked as they crawled out of the lifeboat.

"No idea, but if he thinks he's safe just because he's up there while we're down here, he's got another thing coming," Mine said, running her hand across her teigu with a smile. "Pumpkin can nail a soaring eagle right between the eyes from half a kilometer away, so this guy should be no problem."

Glancing down at Mine's weapon, Sayo couldn't help feeling a sting of jealousy. Her bow had a range of barely two hundred meters–not even a tenth of what Pumpkin could manage in sniper mode. Still, as long as she managed to make herself somewhat useful, she guessed had no reason to complain.

After having reached the top deck without further hurdles, they quickly climbed atop the bridge, settling down on their bellies. Without further ado, Mine pulled out the eyepiece stored inside her teigu and began to scan the crowd beneath them.

"I've found the teigu-user," she said after a moment, adjusting the eyepiece a little, probably to zoom in on her target. "He's talking to some guy in a black uniform." She paused for a moment, before hissing out a string of curse words in some language foreign to Sayo. "Oh no, that's gotta be one of Esdeath's beasts!"

"Where?"

"By the musicians, to the right."

Sayo moved her gaze as directed, but was unable to locate the pair in the dimming light. "I can't see them."

Mine shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I'll keep watching him though, just in case he decides to take another sweep."

"And if he does?"

A grin that showed off every white tooth in Mine's mouth slowly spread across the girl's pink lips. "If he does, I'll blow him out of the sky. He won't even know what hit him."

"Won't that give us away?" Sayo asked, grabbing the wooden shaft of her bow tightly before pulling it off her back.

"Removing their air superiority will be well worth the sacrifice," Mine dismissed. "As long as that guy is in the skies, the enemy has an advantage. Besides, there are a ton of places to hide aboard this ship. We'll just bunker down somewhere until we can regroup with the others in the engine room." She paused. "You _do _remember the ship's layout, right?"

"Ehm…" Sayo hesitated. "Kind of…?"

"Rookies," Mine muttered. "Just don't get in my way."

Gritting her teeth, Sayo began to scan the crowd herself. She'd show this uppity little shrimp before the night was out.

_Heh, sounds like something Tatsumi would think. _

Seeing his smile flash before her inner eye, she felt her eyes grow wetter, and not just because of the wind blowing harshly in her face. Wherever he was, she could only hope he was safe and that she would see him soon.

XXXXX

"Come with me," Run said, gesturing for Tatsumi to follow him behind the orchestra, away from the rest of the party. Leaning up against the railings, they stood in silence for a moment, just listening to the quickening of the music and the whispers of the river below them. Finally, the older man broke the silence.

"Do you find it strange that the prime minister decided not to send the general with us? If the chances of Night Raid showing up are truly that high, it seems to me it would've been prudent to bring our strongest player along."

"I guess," Tatsumi said slowly. He'd been so relieved by the prospect of being free of her for an entire night that he hadn't really given it much thought, but now that Run had mentioned it, he supposed it _was _odd. Esdeath had always made it her mission to never miss a potential fight before. "You think something's up?"

"Maybe," Run said, but did not pursue it. "You know, I couldn't help but notice during dinner that you seem to share a slightly different relationship with the general … compared to the rest of her subordinates."

"So you caught that?" Tatsumi snickered, but his voice was sadly devoid of humor. He had spent probably ninety percent of the dinner with Esdeath's foot creeping up and down his leg. He hoped nobody else had seen it. "Well, we _do _have this very unique agreement: I do as she says, and she won't kill the people I love."

Obviously needing some time to digest that last part, Run became silent for a moment.

"It has gotten much worse than I feared then," he finally said, rubbing his nose. "You have my sympathies."

"Thanks." He meant it. Being able to state it out loud had felt good. _Really _good. "Now, you were suspecting something?"

Run nodded. "The only logical reason for the general to not come with us, would be to not scare Night Raid away, as far as _I_ can tell. Somewhere aboard this ship, there's a honeypot, and I think your friend the former general knows where and what it is."

"You're saying this is all a big trap?"

"More than likely," Run confirmed, pushing himself away from the railing. "Still, knowing this does not change our situation one bit. We still have a job to do."

"Yeah," Tatsumi said doubtfully. Now that he realized what was up, he was suddenly very anxious about having Seryu run around on her own. "Let's go look for the others though – see if we can get some answers."

XXXXX

"What an asshole," Lubbock muttered under his breath, staring daggers down the hallway. Of course, the military dud they were supposed to protect was making things as hard as possible by refusing to leave his damn cabin, leaving them stuck outside, unable to get close without alerting the two musclemen guarding the doubt he was already getting busy with the two hot escorts he'd brought with him. Meanwhile, he himself had not been laid since his arrival to the Capital almost a year ago. The world was such a cold, unfair place.

"Oh my," Leone snickered as a particularly loud moan was able to penetrate the music coming from the deck above. "Looks like somebody is quite the stud."

"I don't care," Lubbock muttered, his tone about as convincing as that of a child denying he had stolen any cookies while his mouth was _full _of them.

"Relax, Lubbock," Leone said, patting his back reassuringly. "I'm sure there are plenty of brain-dead girls out there that would just love to be with a guy like you~."

Even though he knew perfectly well she didn't mean it, Lubbock couldn't help feel a certain discouragementat her words. After all, the girl he liked was anything but brain-dead.

"Hold on," Leone suddenly said, and judging by the way her head had jerked up, Lubbock guessed the cat ears beneath the hat she was wearing had just picked up something. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Lubbock yawned. Geez, just sitting around waiting like this sure was boring, not to mention _tiring… _hold on a second–why was he blinking so much all of a sudden?

"I… something's not right," he heard Leone mutter beside him, her voice growing thick and heavy–the way she sounded when she was halfway to drinking herself unconscious.

Closing his eyes to focus his concentration, Lubbock listened for a moment. Yes, there was definitely _something _in the air, hidden beneath the music of the orchestra, stealing its way through the corridors like invisible smoke.

And it was drawing closer.

"Leone, I think we need to check this out," he mumbled, taking a step forward, only to lose his footing on nothing and stumble forward. Now on his hands and knees, he looked behind him to see Leone and the two guards lie motionless on the floor.

_Shit!_

He tried to push back against the hazy fog clouding his mind, but it was already too late. Before he knew it, his cheek was resting against the softness of the red carpet he had been standing on a moment earlier, fighting just to keep his eyes open. There was another concert on the ship–that much was clear now. A far more subtle and menacing music could be heard down the hallway, creeping closer.

Before the darkness embraced him, he had just enough time to see a blond-haired boy patter past him, a black flute at his lips.

XXXXX

"Where the hell did they all go?" Tatsumi said impatiently. They had been all over both the seventh and the eight deck by now, and still there were no sign of either Seryu or the Three Beasts, nor had anyone seen them. The beginnings of real fear were forming in his stomach now, as he pictured the young girl lying on the floor with a dagger in her back somewhere. Goddammit, why had he allowed her to run off?

"This isn't working," Run finally said, his hands tightening in frustration as they came to a halt inside the ship's central lounge, a huge room with a ceiling almost entirely of glass, separating them from several tons of water in the pool on the floor above. Had they not been in such a hurry, Tatsumi might have stopped and marveled at the sight. "This reckless plan is placing every man and woman aboard this ship in danger. I'm seriously starting to wonder if we should order the captain to turn the ship back towards the harbor."

"Only River would have the authority to do that. You and I both have yet to be formally accepted into the military."

"I know," Run admitted. "But as you might've become aware of, I can be _very _persuasive when I want. With my teigu, I can get us both up to the bridge in less than a minute. What do you say?"

Tatsumi did not answer. Tatsumi could not answer. His breath had stopped halfway out of his lungs, his body was stone, and his veins were ice. Up there, even if it was totally obscured by the water, he could still see the shape of a girl with black hair. Impossible as it might have seemed, he even thought he might have seen two crimson circles before the shadow pulled back into the darkness.

"Tatsumi?"

Shaking his head, Tatsumi sought for the reassuring warmth of Hermes as a mix of resolve and dread formed in his chest.

"They're here."

XXXXX

"So sorry for the inconvenience," Sheele said yet again as she tightened the knot around their target's wrists, doing her best to ignore the muffled cries from the woman's gagged mouth.

_She must be terrified right now, poor thing. _

After an angel-like figure in the sky had confirmed the presence of teigu-users on the ship, she and Akame had quickly come to the agreement that hiding the target away somewhere until the storm settled might be the best course of action. Of course, since they just couldn't walk up to her, tell the woman their purpose to her and politely ask her to come with them, they had been forced to tie her up.

Laying the target across her shoulder, Sheele rose and turned around just in time to see Akame slowly pull back from the pool she had been staring down at these last few minutes.

"Two teigu-users below us," the younger assassin said calmly, pulling Murasame from its sheath in a quick, fluid motion. "I'll take care of them. You take the target somewhere safe and then double back here."

"You can't seriously be thinking of facing two of them alone?" Sheele demanded, her eyes narrowing indignantly. "I'd expect that kind of recklessness from Leone, not you."

"Sheele, one of them is wearing Raiko's armor," Akame said, sending her one look that said it all. There was nothing she could say now that could change her mind.

"Very well," Sheele said, turning away from her friend with the feeling that she might very well regret this before the night was over. Behind her, Akame brought her teigu to her lips, kissing the cold, black blade as she might a sister.

"Old friend… give this steel the strength to avenge you…"

XXXXX

Hearing the tone of Nyau's irresistible music vibrate through his bones, River rose from the couch on which he had been seated these last ten minutes. As luck would have it, his target had made his way to the ship's posterior observation deck. Right now, it was pretty much deserted, due to most of the guests being gathered outside at this point, where they would be mostly unaffected by Scream's hypnosis. Everything was going according to plan.

"Hold on, sir," one of the old man's black-clad bodyguards said calmly, holding a large palm up as a blockade. "I'm afraid I can't allow you to approach my client without a body search."

"I am responsible for ship security for the duration of this event," River said, the knife beneath his coat itching to be drawn. "I need to speak to your employer about a potential danger to his person."

"Let him through, Guran," a good-tempered voice said. The bodyguard obeyed, albeit reluctantly, revealing a short, bald man in a coat lined with white fur. Turning away from the sea, the old man moved his wrinkly eyes to River, a smile of genuine warmth stretching his lips.

"A pleasure to see you again, sir," he continued, bowing his head. "I don't suppose you remember me, but I'm a great admirer of your long record of service to this country."

Looking at the old man up close, River _did _find that his face was sparking a remembrance in his mind, but he had no memory of having conversed with him before. "Have we met?" he asked, his curiosity sparked.

"Sort of," the old man answered, looking… embarrassed? "I was a member of the jury during that dreadful charade the prime minister used to destroy your career. I tried to speak up for you, considering the laughable state of the evidence against you, but I'm afraid the others jurors must've been paid off beforehand. Just another example of how this great nation is falling apart from the inside."

River remembered now, shifting his stance uncomfortably. This frail old man had indeed been the only one to speak out against the prosecutor's trumped-up charges, only to be drowned out by the Prime Minister's proxies.

_Of all the rotten luck…_

"Well, I suppose there's some justice left in this world, seeing that you're still alive and well," the old man said, putting that damn smile back on. "Now, you mentioned something about a danger?"

"Indeed," River said, his voice utterly devoid of emotion as his right hand closed around the hilt of a knife.

XXXXX

Stepping back out of the blood-soaked cabin, Nyau gave himself a mental slap on the back for a job well-done. Even if Night Raid had neglected to show up, killing off that officer was a major win for the prime minister. Now, the only part of the military where dissension could still be found was the Imperial Guard, and soon enough, even that would cease to be a problem.

"Aaah, I love this job so much," he sighed, a faint blush creeping up his neck as he relived the memory of letting his knife reshape the screaming man's face. Truly, in that moment as he pulled the cover away and exposed his target's inner being, he had loved him so much more than any woman ever could. Indeed, this was true art, and proof of the bond that would forever remain between the two of them was safely stored inside his uniform. Thinking about it, he supposed this was his reason for admiring Esdeath-sama so much. Of all the people he had met, only she truly understood the beauty of pain, and that inflicting it was the only way to reveal the true nature of man. She might not fancy herself an artist, but _he _knew the truth, and could only aspire to one day achieve her level of mastery.

His thought process was interrupted as he reached the two strange individuals that had for some reason been hanging around when he made his grand entrance. Still knocked out by the power of Scream, their chests moved silently up and down as he hunched down beside them, scratching his chin. He supposed there was good chance they had simply been searching for a secluded spot to hit it off when his hypnosis had reached them, but something about them still rubbed him the wrong way. For one, this voluptuous vixen just seemed way out of this scrawny youth's league.

On a sudden impulse, he reached forward and removed the ridiculous Breton on the blond girl's head, the corners of his mouth drawing back to from a toothy grin at the sight of a truth revealed.

"Well, would you look at that," he chuckled as he reached forward to play with one of the long, feline ears standing up from the top of her head. "Looks like I've gone and found myself some assassins." Unsheathing his second most valued possession, the dagger that had been his primary weapon before Esdeath-sama had bestowed Scream upon him, he grabbed a fistful of the blond woman's golden bangs. Truth be told, he would have preferred her being awake for this, but since he knew nothing of what she was capable off, it would be foolish not to slit her throat before he did anything else.

"I don't think so, asshole," a voice hissed into his ear, and before he could even begin to draw in a breath of surprise, something tightened around his neck with deadly strength. Gurgling, panic seeped into his blood as his lungs were deprived of precious air, and he clawed at his own throat–only to find strings so thin he couldn't possibly grip them.

"Ugh," the blond woman grunted, pushing herself up on her elbows. "What's going on?"

"Oh, nothing much–just saving your life," his green-haired attacker said, constricting his strings until Nyau felt blood run down his neck to soak the collar of his jacket. "Still–you mind giving me a hand?"

"How about a fist?" she growled as her eyes came to focus on Nyau's increasingly purple face, punching him in the stomach with such force he thought his innards would explode.

"Damn, even I felt that," the other one muttered, allowing Nyau to fall forward into heap as he withdrew his strings. However, the blond youth's alleviation was cut short as he only had the time to draw a single, shaky breath before the woman grabbed him by the collar and slammed him against the wall, nearly breaking the woodwork.

"Okay, pal," she snarled, her free hand morphing into a paw with claws as black as his uniform. "Unless you want me to start breaking your bones one by one, I suggest you talk. How many other teigu-users are on this ship?"

"Screw you, bitch!" he snarled, ramming his knife into her flat stomach, twisting it around.

"Ouchie," the golden-eyed woman pouted, before grabbing his hand with her paw and jerking it out, then following up with breaking his wrist like a match.

"Dumb move," she snickered as he screamed out, forcing himself not to cry as his hand burned. "Let's see, should we move on to your fingers next?"

"Two," Nyau lied, desperately searching for a way out as he saw the wound he'd inflicted on the bitch close itself with freakish speed. "Two other users!"

"I don't believe you," she said darkly, and he screamed out again as he felt one of his thumbs go. "Try again."

"Leone," her scrawny friend said, an undertone of urgency in his voice.

"Shut it, Lubbo, I'm just getting started with this little bastard!"

"Leone, look."

Nyau and the cat woman turned their head in unison, and a relief greater than he would've never before connected to this man swelled up inside Nyau as he saw Daidara stroll leisurely down the corridor, his big hands buried in deep pockets.

"Well, looks like I've finally found some game," the big man grinned, pulling Belvaac from his back as he came to a halt not five meters from them. "And here I was starting to think I'd go a whole night without any fun."

"Stay back, pal," the cat woman warned, placing a claw against the hollow of Nyau's throat. "Unless you want me to break your buddy here in half."

"Hmm, is that so?" Daidara inquired as his eyes narrowed, but his grin stayed the same. "What do you think, Nyau? Do you feel like sacrificing yourself for the cause?"

"OF COURSE NOT, YOU MORON!" the blond boy snapped, moving his hand beneath his jacket to find Scream. "Do the thing!"

"You got it!" Daidara yelled, launching his teigu forward like a spear. Separating within a moment of being thrown, the two ax blades zeroed in on the cat woman's face. They missed her by a nail's width, due to her obviously superior reflexes, but provided Nyau with just the distraction he needed to slam his feet into her chest and break free of her hold. All she could do was grasp for his feet in vain as he speeded away, before sliding down on his back to avoid the two blades of Belvaac as they instinctively turned one-eighty in midair to return to their master, forcing the two assassins to throw themselves down on the ground.

"My turn," Nyau smiled, bringing Scream to his lips. After having sustained so much damage, only one option remained: the fiercest of all his melodies. It would hurt, but it would be more than worth it.

"Oh, just fucking kill me now," the scrawny one groaned as the blond boy grew into a man of beautiful proportions.

"Don't mind if I do," Nyau grinned, shooting forward.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Daidara roared, launching himself at the surrounded assassins.

Their attacks connected nearly at the same time, the floor taking the brunt of the force as their opponents retreated, slamming into each other's backs. Not constructed to withstand such strain, the floor broke like glass, sending all four of them tumbling down into the unknown.

XXXXX

"Again, I am so sorry," Sheele said as she pushed the gagged woman into a closet of _maybe _one square meter, before breaking the doorknob. Finding something better would have been preferable, but helping Akame had to be her first priority. Darting back down the hallway, she silently prayed that her friend had showed restraint enough to await her return before attacking. While Akame was certainly more experienced than her, she was still just a girl who had yet to experience her nineteenth birthday–a being of flesh and blood… and their enemy had so many monsters on their side.

No sooner had she finished the thought, than a presence of such black malevolence came up behind her that every tiny hair on her body stood up in alert. Twisting herself around whilst still moving forward, she was just in time to block the bullet aiming for her heart.

"It's no use," the caramel-haired girl holding the smoking gun said, an ugly, twisted grin slowly distorting her face. "Your sentence was decided the moment you turned your back on the light. I am merely carrying it out." Snapping her fingers, the girl made the dog standing at her side perk up, before growing so big that its head hit the ceiling of the corridor with a bang.

"The biological teigu…" Sheele whispered.

"I know your face," the girl continued, ignoring her words. "You are Sheele of Night Raid, and your crimes are too numerous to be counted. Lay down your weapon and repent, and I will make your end a quick one."

"Little girls like you should be in school, not carrying weapons," Sheele said quietly. "That is what I fight for, but do not think I'll hesitate for a moment with cutting you down if you don't back down."

"So be it," the girl said, her grin growing so impossibly wide that her face seemed wider than it was tall. "Koro…"

The beast surged forward, opening a jaw that belonged on a shark. Feeling everything shake as it charged her, Sheele let everything go and surrendered her body to her inner killer. When Ecstasy sliced through the monster's flesh like it was butter, it was as if she was seeing it all from afar. Like a spectator. This was not her spreading death like the hooded man himself–it was someone else.

Someone that would soon have the blood of a foolish, little girl on her hands.

XXXXX

"W-what are you doing!?" the old man demanded, falling back on his behind as River stepped over his fallen bodyguards, his black uniform stained with red. "Have you lost your damn mind?"

"Perhaps," River shrugged. "But that does not change the fact that I was tasked with taking your life tonight."

"The prime minister…" the old man whispered, his hands balling into indignant fists. "Was that the price of your release, _general? _You would rather live as a thug-for-hire than die like a man?"

"I have laughed in death's face more times than you could imagine, old man," River said darkly. "This is about paying a debt, no more, no less."

"If that's the case, the least you could do for a tired old man is let him die with some dignity," the old man said, holding a palm up like a shield. "Let me get back to my feet first."

River said nothing, but gestured for the old man to do as he wished. He nearly slipped on the blood that had spread across the floor, but with the help of his cane, the old man rose up, standing straighter than he had all night.

"I want you to know that I take no pleasure in this," River said, visualizing what was about to transpire. To ensure maximum efficiency and a minimum of pain, he would simply put the knife right between the old man's eyes.

"With all due respect, _sir_, that does not really change my situation," the old man said, his tone barely quivering. Most of all, he sounded somber and tired. "How cruel that I should live long enough to see this country fall so low."

"Then let me help you."

Like a snake about to feed, River lunged forward, the tip of his knife aiming straight for the old man's head. Closing his eyes, the old man awaited his end without flinching, but to his surprise, it did not come. Instead, he started like a deer as the sound of River's knife getting broken into a hundred pieces resounded through the dimly lit room.

"Heh," River muttered, pushing himself away from the wall he had just been propelled into with brutal force. "So the rumors were true after all. Not only did you survive, but you joined the revolutionary army… Bulat."

"Of course," a calm voice answered, somewhat distorted by the fact that it was coming from a man wearing a helmet. "After everything the prime minister has done to us all, what else was I supposed to do?" His expression hidden by his teigu, Bulat stepped forward, summoning a long, red spear. "What really should be perplexing to you are your own actions."

"W-who are you!?" the old man stuttered, moving a hand to cover his neck.

"Someone who was sent here to protect you," Bulat answered without turning around. "I'm afraid you'll have to live with this rotten country for a bit longer, old man."

"Unacceptable," River said, wiping away some blood from his cracked lip as he got back on his feet. "I was sent here to eliminate him, and I _will_, even if it should be at the cost of my own life… for my master."

"Esdeath."

"Yes," River whispered, moving to the side in an attempt to get an angle on the old man.

"So that is how you got off," Bulat remarked, mirroring his former superior's movements to remain between the two. "But is a debt to a person like that really one that need paying?"

"You have no idea," River said, pulling a short word from his belt. "She is beyond either of us, beyond that fat bastard pulling the strings even. If she wanted, she could rule this pitiful nation herself."

"Too bad she has so few interests beside murdering and brutalizing," Bulat countered, before taking a quick jab at the former general's chest, which River promptly blocked.

"She is young," River said as they both withdrew, still searching for an opening. "Right now, she just wants to play around, but in time, she will realize just what she's capable of." He swung his blade at Bulat's left thigh, but the sword didn't have the length, nor the speed to make contact before the younger man swept it to the side. "And when that happens, this country will be reborn. You could witness it as well. Give up this senseless quest and join my master's side, Bulat!"

"No thanks," Incursio's wielder said dryly. "I'm not as easily pussy-whipped as you, old friend… for obvious reasons."

"Then you've still yet to realize the unnatural nature of your inclinations. A pity. With a body, face and temper like yours, you could've had any woman."

Just a little further now. Bulat might be the stronger fighter, but _he _still had nearly two decades of experience on him. All he needed to do was to draw him a little further away from the old man…

"Is that all you've got to say?" Bulat said. "You're not going to explain to me why you wouldtrade away your soul and dignity for the chance to lick Esdeath's boots?"

"Your revolution is doomed to fail. What you're fighting for is nothing more than a mirage."

"Better to strive for a pure fantasy than accept a corrupt world," Bulat said, lowering his spear. "If that's all you've got, than I see no reason to drag this conversation out much longer."

"Indeed," River said, popping the cap on a water bag hanging from his hip. Directing all his focus to the ring on his right middle finger, he forced the water out in two beams. As expected, Bulat was quick enough to block one of them despite the surprise, using his armored body as a shield, but the other one was out of his reach. Curving around in the air like a dragon of the east, the tip of the water cannon narrowed until it had the sharpness of a needle, a needle aiming straight for the old man's heart.

"IEYASU!" Bulat yelled, and out of the shadows, a lean youth wielding a pair of dual knives emerged, crossing them to create a makeshift shield. The water still contained enough force to slam him violently into its intended target, but not enough to break the old man's neck.

"Nice one, kid," Bulat called as the headband-wearing boy and the old man slowly got back on their feet. "See, I told you you'd make yourself useful!"

"Don't mention it," the boy said, grinning sheepishly as he rubbed his neck. "Now, let's get out of here, gramps." Putting his arm around the old man's waist, he began to walk them both toward the stairs leading to the deck below.

"You've gotten wiser," River commended. Say, had he not seen that youth somewhere before?

"Or maybe you're losing your touch," Bulat said, making sure he remained between the former general and his target. "Now that you've shown your hand, there's no reason for me to hold back anymore. Prepare yourself, old friend."

"Oh, you've seen nothing yet," River chuckled, feeling the water call to him from far below. "Today, we're fighting on _my _turf, Bulat."

Darting to the side, he dived over the railings, smiling as he heard Bulat's shout of alarm. Then, he broke the river's surface and felt its power fill him until every cell in his body was quivering with its might.

_You lose, Bulat. _

XXXXX

The music of the orchestra had taken on a much more fervent nature as Tatsumi and Run made their way onto the open deck where the former had seen Night Raid's most infamous assassin stand by the poolside. The lone lights from a few scattered lamps were barely able to hold the night at bay, long shadows stretching around them like a spider's web.

"You think she retreated into the ship?" Run voiced, his wings out and ready to fill any potential enemy with feather projectiles.

"Maybe," Tatsumi said, although he didn't believe it for a second. An assassin of Akame's caliber wouldn't reveal herself so easily through a _mistake. _No, she had meant for them to see her–that much he was certain of. The real question was: how and when would she ambush them?

Activating Hermes, he let his mind fan out like Esdeath had taught him, searching for killer intent. Nothing. Either they were truly alone, or the ones watching them were so disciplined they didn't let out a smudge of aura.

His money was on the latter.

"Okay, Akame!" he shouted, raising his arms to his sides. "This is where you wanted us, right? We both know what happens next, so why don't we just get it over with?"

An answer came, but not in the form of a girl's voice. Almost as soon as he had finished the sentence, something slammed into the ship with such force that the entire vessel rocked.

"What the hell!?" Tatsumi exclaimed, shifting his weight to keep himself from falling over. "Did we hit something?"

"No, it came from the back of the ship," Run said calmly, flapping his wings once to keep his balance. "Hold on, I'll see if I can get a good look." Hunching down on nimble legs, Run placed his palms on the deck, before throwing himself into the air. Next, he let himself float away on the wind, until he was nearly above the flowing water. Turning his head towards Tatsumi, the blond man shook his head.

"I can't see anything!" he shouted, inching himself even further out.

A terrible premonition struck Tatsumi like a blow, but before he could warn his newfound friend, a solitary shadow unlatched itself from the blackness of the roof above him. Looking up, Tatsumi screamed out as he saw a pair of crimson eyes glitter in the darkness, but it was too late. Run tried to dodge, but barely had the time to move his wings before the falling assassin caught up with him. Black steel flashed in the night, and without a word, Run began to spiral downwards, disappearing from Tatsumi's line of sight. A faint splash managed to reach Tatsumi's ears despite the noisy whispers of the river, and then nothing else. Frozen in place, Tatsumi could do nothing but stare as a single, white feather passed in front of his face, before the wind greedily snatched it away.

No, this could not be. He had known Run for less than a day. How could he be gone so soon and so swiftly? He heard the cursed sword make contact, which meant it wouldn't matter, even if he _did _somehow managed to locate him in the water. How…?

The spell was broken as a hand appeared on the railings, followed by a black-haired head and a pair of red eyes. Pulling herself back onto the deck, she still held Murasame firmly in her hand. Under different circumstances, Tatsumi might have marveled at the fact that she had managed to _not _dislocate her arm, but Run was dead, and he couldn't possibly care less.

"You…" he whispered as their gazes locked themselves together, his wrist blades sliding out of their hidden compartments. "YOU BITCH!"

Zooming forward, he threw all his weight into the first strike, a shower of sparks illuminating the night as their blades met. Using what momentum remained, he threw his shoulder into her, sending her tumbling across the deck.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT HE DID TODAY!?" he roared, stalking after her. "DO KNOW HOW MANY WOULD'VE DIED IF NOT FOR HIM!?" Aiming for her head, he stabbed down. The blade missed with less than a second's margin after the assassin rolled away, digging into the wooden floor instead. Kicking a broken piece of wood off the weapon, he turned his head to see her jump to her feet, leveling her sword.

"You cared for your comrade," the assassin said, "but so did I for mine."

"Shut the fuck up," he growled, darting forward while holding his right blade like a lance, aiming for her throat. She managed to deflect it–_barely_. Whirling around, Tatsumi saw her blade come for his right leg. Recognizing the feint, he easily stopped her as she tried to pierce his helmet, relishing at the sight of her eyes widening in surprise… and perhaps a touch of worry.

"Not so tough when your opponent aren't exhausted from the get-go?" he sneered, planting an armored foot in her abdomen. Once again, the assassin was sent reeling across the deck.

_Not this time, _he thought as he saw her plant her foot in the deck, struggling to rebuild her defense. Before she could recover, he shot forward and swept Murasame out of her hands in one quick motion. The black sword landed in the pool tip first, almost without a splash.

"End of the line," Tatsumi breathed, holding his right blade at her throat. At this point, the red fog in his mind had abated enough for him to think more or less rationally, which was the reason he hadn't cut her throat yet. He had only known Run for half a day, but somehow, he just knew that Run would have wanted him to do this the right way. "I'm taking you in."

Without as much as a twinkle in her eye that could have given her away, the assassin swatted his blade away Esdeath-style, before throwing herself into the pool.

"NO!" he shouted. Hurling himself after her, he knew that only one of them could come out of this breathing now.

XXXXX

Water dripping from the tip of his helmet, Bulat looked up as River rose over him atop a cyclone of twirling liquid. He did not think a single person on this ship had managed to _not _notice the hit the vessel had just taken. To think that his former superior had attained this kind of power…

"We're just warming up, Bulat!" River shouted, making another pillar of water rise up from the depths of the river. Pointing his teigu at his former subordinate, he forced millions of droplets to bend to his will and surge in a single direction. This time, Bulat was prepared, and split the former general's attack straight down the middle with his spear.

"As strong as ever," River said. "You should be serving a master that deserves you, not a bunch of rebels about to charge straight off a cliff."

"Najenda is twice the 'master' Esdeath is," Bulat shot back. "And probably ten times the general you were!"

Even through the night and the whirling water, Bulat had no trouble see River's face grow as dark as the grave. "You should not have said that, old friend. I don't care what you say about me, but I will not forgive an insult directed at my master."

Raising his arms, the former general closed his eyes. Behind him, like an awakened colossus, a huge wall of water rose up. If not for the fact that the night was already here, it would've cast a shadow across the entire ship.

"Stop it, River!" Bulat roared, knowing there was no way he could keep the ship from going down if that thing fell upon it. Maybe he could survive it, but his comrades and the civilians aboard would surely die. "You'll kill your own allies!"

"My mission is to kill you, at any cost," River said mechanically. "Goodbye, Bulat."

XXXXX

"Goodbye, asshole," Mine whispered, pulling the trigger. A split-second later, a beam of light so bright that the night turned into day erupted from Pumpkin's muzzle. Like a stone against glass, it obliterated the wall of water. Not wasting a second to marvel at her handiwork, she turned her sights on the gray-haired man atop the water cyclone. The second salvo wasn't nearly as powerful, but it still punched through the teigu-user's half-assed water shield with ease. In the ensuing chaos, as hundreds of tons of water came crashing back down, she couldn't confirm that she'd hit the bastard.

_Well, either way, he's out of the game for now. _

Putting her teigu down, she saw Bulat send a thumbs-up in her approximate direction, before darting back into the ship, no doubt eager to link up with the rest of the team. Turning around, she saw Sayo look at her with eyes the size of apples.

"That was… the most badass thing I've ever seen…" the dark-haired girl finally managed, sounding quite a bit like her buffoon of a headband-wearing friend for a moment.

"Fufu, what else would you expect from a genius marksman?" Mine said, brushing a pink hair lock away from her forehead. "I hope this makes you realize how privileged you are to be in such company."

"Uh huh," the country girl said, looking much less impressed and slightly more annoyed all of a sudden. "So what's our next move, oh genius marksman?"

"No need to be jealous. If you too had had a teigu such as mine, I'm sure you could've done as well as me… in a few thousand years."

"Flat-chest."

"Why you!"

XXXXX

During the years Lubbock had served under Najenda, he had done many things he had thought he'd never do, including, but not limited to:

Driving a cart full of explosives into a twelve-meter rampart.

Wade through a dozen kilometers of stinking sewers to infiltrate the imperial records.

Distract a whole legion's worth of drunk and horny prison guards while cross-dressing.

And now, he had experienced falling through three consecutive floors, which had ended with him getting buried beneath a psychotic shota on steroids, some kind of crazy ax-guy, and Leone.

_Fuck my life, _he groaned mentally, wiggling himself out from under the semi-conscious flute-bastard. _How come I never get to be on top? _Working a hand under his shirt, he was relieved to find his string armor still intact. Without it, he would undoubtedly have been mush by now. Looking around, he found himself in the middle of a massive room, filled with steam, gigantic tanks containing god know what, and immense cogwheels going round and round.

The engine room.

"What're you looking at, you little shit?"

He tried to dodge, but the flute-guy was fast as shit now, slamming his big, fat leg into his back before he could react. Crashing into the closest wall, Lubbock barely had the time to collect himself before the demonic fuck was on him again, spamming blows like a boxer high on cocaine.

"What's the matter, shorty?" flute-guy leered, his voice just as shrill despite all the extra kilos. "Too fast for you?"

"Look who's talking," Lubbock managed, using speed and precision built up from years of intense practice to form a tiny net of threads in a matter of seconds, before flinging it into flute-guy's face. The distraction gave him just enough time to get himself out of the corner. Looking over at the pile of rubble, he saw that Leone and the ax-guy were both back on their feet and locked in intense combat. In other words, no help to find there.

_Okay, Lubbock, use that stinky brain of yours. _

"You think something like this can stop me?" flute-guy roared, ripping the threads from his face.

_Cross Tail is only as good as the guy who wields it. Gotta use my surroundings…_

"I'm going to enjoy taking your face. Don't worry; I'll put your friend right next to you in my collection."

_Hey now, _Lubbock thought as his eyes landed on two particularly small cogwheels meshing not five meters from him. Halfway covered by the metallic floor, they formed two perfect semicircles rotating side by side, both reaching him to about his knees.

Almost instantly, he had his plan… but it would require some sacrifices on the part of his poor, poor body. Turning back to look at his advancing opponent, he put on the most infuriatingly cocky grin he could manage.

"Bring it on, if you're done with that lame-ass music!"

A vein as thick as one of Lubbock's fingers pumping in flute-guy's neck, the freak shot forward.

_String armor, don't fail me now. _

It hurt like hell, but it didn't immobilize him. As flute-guy's fist dug into his stomach, he pulled out a little of the Realm-Cutting Thread and used it to form a lasso. Before flute-guy could deliver the second blow, the noose was around his neck.

_YES! _

Pulling back, Lubbock couldn't prevent a sneer from forming on his face as he watched his strongest thread cut into flute-guy's bull-neck.

"Agh… you bastard…" flute-guy hissed, scratching his neck bloody in a futile attempt to remove the string. "You think you can strangle _me?_"

"Nope." Still holding onto the thread like it was his red string of fate to Najenda; he pointed his free hand at the other end of the room and shot out one cord from each finger. Feeling all five hit the metal wall, he began the retraction. As he sailed across the room he let out all of his trump card thread, and through sheer luck, the reel was not empty by the time he landed. Using the last few meters of thread, he tied it around a vertical axle that was part of yet another gear. A second later, flute-guy was yanked forward by an unrelenting force.

"W-what the hell are you doing?" he demanded, the noose around his neck only tightening as he stupidly tried to pull back.

"Killing you." Vaulting over the two cogwheel from before, he readied some of his normal thread. His opponent tried to strike him as he got within reach, but it was a desperate and spastic movement, and Lubbock slid under it with ease by bowing backwards. Now behind flute-guy, he shot ten separate threads into the bigger man's exposed calves. At such short range, they all cut straight to the bone.

"AAAAHH!" flute-guy roared, falling over. He tried to get up almost immediately, but Lubbock put an end to that by retracting the threads just enough to send another wave of pain through his opponents tired nerves.

"DAIDARA!" the desperate teigu-user roared, clawing at his throat.

"Kinda busy here!" the ax-guy responded, and indeed, he seemed to have his hands full with trying to shake off the blonde assassin currently doing her best to strange him with her thighs.

"Looks like you're on your own, buddy," Lubbock said as flute-guy was dragged towards the two cogwheels. "Call it karma for those two beautiful girls you murdered back there."

"No… way…" flute-guy wheezed, making a second attempt at getting up. This time, Lubbock retracted his strings all the way, ripping several chunks of meat from his opponent's legs, spraying the floor with red. No scream came this time, as his tightening threads now blocked flute-guy's windpipe completely.

"Oh shit…" Lubbock whispered, realizing just how brutal this would be. Turning his gaze away, he steeled himself.

Considering how hideous it sounded when flute-guy's head finally reached the cogwheel, he doubted not looking would earn him much sleep during the weeks to come.

XXXXX

_Oh God, _Leone thought as she saw the head of Lubbock's opponent crack like a nut from the corner of her eye. She had seen some nasty sights in her twenty-two years of lifetime, but that was by far the worst she'd ever witnessed. Did anyone really deserve to go out like that?

"Get off me!" the ax-wielding goon between her legs roared, finally getting ahold of one of her arms. Letting go of his neck, she instead sunk her teeth into his thick forearm, the taste of his blood stirring the animalistic rage that always consumed her when she allowed Lionelle to rule her completely. The huge man responded by slamming her into one of the metal tanks, but when she refused to let go, he raised his teigu.

_Oh shit…_

Ducking, she barely managed to keep her head. The tank did not fare as well, the ax-teigu plowing through it as if it was wet tissue paper. A second later, Leone started as she felt a warm, foul-smelling gas come hissing out.

"Ugh… I really hate to interrupt you guys… but I think I might've broken something!"

Sparing a glance at Lubbock, Leone's eyes widened as she saw red flames flicker up around the two cogwheels that had crunched the flute-wielding bastard's little head. Hold on a sec… flames and gas… equaled…

"FUCK!" she snapped, slamming her feet into her opponent's iron stomach to put some distance between them. Not even bothering trying to finish the job, she shot across the floor with all the speed she could manage, grabbing Lubbock as she shot past him.

"My threads!" he shouted in protest.

"Forget the fucking threads, you idiot!" she snapped, scurrying for the closest exit.

_Legs, _please _don't fail me now!_

XXXXX

"No…" Seryu whispered. This could not be happening. How could Hekatonkheires, the ultimate weapon of justice, be defeated so easily!?"

"Get up, Koro!" she yelled, but her beloved tool and pet remained motionless as the bespectacled villain stepped over him.

_It's because I used Berserker, _she realized. It had only been a week, so of course Koro wouldn't have recovered completely yet. How could she have been so stupid!?

"I'm sorry," the villain said, her purple eyes void of emotion.

"Justice will not be defeated!" she screamed, raising her right gun to purge this scoundrel with hot steel. Before she could pull the trigger though, a blinding light flashed out of the villain's teigu, depriving her of all sight. Next, she felt cold steel embrace her arm.

"ARGH!" Stumbling backwards, she saw her arm fall to the floor, white bone peeking out of the bloody end. Before she could do anything else, a strong hand closed around her neck, slamming it against the wall.

"I'm sorry," the filthy murder repeated, raising her teigu.

_No, _Seryu thought, disbelief and pain rendering her limbs frozen. _I haven't even begun to avenge Ogre-sama and father… my father…_

"Father…" she whispered, feeling her eyes fill up with tears.

_BOOM!_

XXXXX

Doing her utmost to keep calm, Akame opened her eyes and began to search for Murasame. She knew it had to be somewhere at the bottom of the pool, considering how heavy it was, but the bright lights coming from the lounge below made it difficult to see through the water. Finally, she spotted the elongated shape beneath her, slightly to the right. Pushing herself through the water, she kept her eyes on her trusted weapon. Without it, she felt more naked than she'd ever been while bathing.

Something hard and cold closed around her ankle, causing jolts of electricity to flash through her nerves. Twisting her head around, she felt her heart jump as she realized her enemy had followed her into the water. With Raiko's armor on, he'd have no trouble breathing, which meant she had to avoid a confrontation down here at all costs.

Without hesitation, she pulled her leg back and slammed her foot into his helmet, but the water made the strike slow and clumsy. Not discouraged in the slightest, her enemy drew her closer, reaching out for her face with an armored hand. Sensing the iron control she always had on her emotions during combat being chipped away to be replaced by fear, she kicked again, driving her knee into his chest. The effect was even weaker this time, and as she felt the weight of his armor pull them both down, her fear gave way to panic.

_Calm yourself. _

Raiko's cool voice, resounding within her mind.

_If you panic, you'll drown. Imagine you're sitting on a beach, the waves tickling your feet every few seconds. Think of your friends. _

Her heart rate calming, Akame felt the growing burning of her lungs slow down. There was no way in hell she would die here, to this teigu.

_BOOM!_

XXXXX

Warm blood running down the side of her face, Seryu opened her eyes to see her supposed killer slumped against the opposite wall, her head between her hands. What on earth had just happened? An explosion aboard the ship? Shaking the dizziness away, she moved her eyes to the stump that had once been her right arm. The bleeding had already stopped, just like the doctor had promised her.

_This is my chance!_

Pushing herself up on her knees, Seryu bit down on her lip, pressing. A moment later, the tip of a barrel emerged from her wound. Ignoring the horrible sensation of metal twisting its way through her body, she kept on pushing, until the entire gun was out. Grinning madly, she pointed it at the murderesses' head.

It was then the screaming reached her, following by the thunder of a thousand footsteps. Turning her head on instinct, she saw a horde of grey-faced, panicked partygoers come around the corner to her left. Before she could turn her attention back on the assassin, the human stampede was upon them. She tried to get to her feet, but someone's knee hit her right in the jaw, slamming her head against the wall _again. _Doing her best to just melt into the wallpaper, she covered herself as best she could while the people she was supposed to protect fled down the corridor. Then it hit her.

"KORO!"

Her eyes turning wildly in their sockets, she desperately searched for her teigu. It seemed to take minutes, but at last, she spotted the poor creature amidst the storm of legs, crawling towards her. Throwing herself forward, she reached out with the arm that was still intact. Her heart sang as she felt his soft little body against her side, sensing that his core was still intact. However, one look confirmed her other fear.

The assassin was gone.

XXXXX

The explosion occurred almost in the exact moment the two of them hit the pool's glass bottom. Though it was slightly muted, Tatsumi had no trouble hearing the blast through the water, nor feel its power ripple through it. For a moment, he forgot all about Akame and Run as he took in the fact that the ship might be sinking.

_Oh, shit!_

His focus was quickly recovered though. Now, Akame finally had something to kick back against, and she used it for all it was worth. Her feet hitting him square in the chest, he cursed loudly as she slipped from his grasp. Fast as a fish, the assassin propelled herself over to her lost sword. As she snatched it up, Tatsumi felt the rage at Run's passing engulf him once again. He had to kill her–_now_–before she had the chance to escape him in the growing chaos.

The world growing darker as smoke flooded into the lounge beneath him, he used Hermes for all it was worth by launching himself at the assassin, who was already halfway back to the surface. Catching up with her in mere seconds, he locked his arms around her waist. Immediately, she began to pound him with Murasame's hilt, but he barely felt it. His momentum used up, the weight of the armor began to pull them back down. Even though the light was all but gone, he still thought he could see Akame's eyes flash with new fear.

His feet hit the bottom of the pool, and he tightened his grip around the assassin. It was clear she was almost out of breath, her movements turning into spasms. Tired of waiting, he drew his right arm back, before using the power of his teigu to drive his fist into her face as swiftly as he could have on dry land. Blood flowed from her nose as her mouth was forced open. Spasms began to run through her body, so powerful that he barely managed to hold her down.

_Enough. _

His hand closed around her throat, before driving her head into the glass with all the force he could muster. One last, tiny bubble found its way out of the assassin's mouth… and then her body grew still.

XXXXX

"What the hell is going on!?" Mine cried, covering her nose as a wall of smoke hit them.

"Mine, where are you!?"

"Don't breathe the smoke," she hissed, grabbing air until she found Sayo's hand. "Come, we gotta get off this ship!"

"What about the others!?"

"Us dying won't help them, will it? Come on!"

Taking the stairs four steps at a time, they made their way down to the central deck. Without the others, they'd need a lifeboat to make their way back to the shore, which meant they had to get outside.

_Wasn't there an exit in that lounge? _she thought as she spotted an extravagant entrance. Pulling the black-haired bumpkin behind her, she ran through the gilded door, but stopped abruptly as she saw that the fire had already reached the huge room.

"Goddammit," she hissed, trying her best to locate the exit through the ocean of confusion, but before she had the chance to give it a fair shot, Sayo threw herself into her from behind.

"Watch out!"

Something passed across her head as she fell, something heavy and made of metal. As she hit the ground, she saw one of the largest men she'd ever seen pull a vast double-bladed ax from the counter in which it had lodged itself.

"You guys just don't know when to quit, do you!?" he shouted, raising the ax above his head. Mine tried to raise Pumpkin, but with Sayo lying over her, it was just impossible.

_NO!_

The ax fell, but before it could reach its target, Bulat came flying out of nowhere, throwing himself into the teigu-wielder and tackling him into a shelf full of alcohol. One of the bottles hit Sayo right on top of her head, and Mine cried out as the girl's eyes rolled back in their sockets and her body became limp. Holy smithereens, how could the situation be degenerating so quickly?

Of course, it was at that moment she spotted Akame.

_Oh God, no. _Even through the smoke and the flickering lights, her trained eyes instantly recognized the fact that her friend wasn't moving, _at all. _Not even thinking, she pushed Sayo away, raised Pumpkin until it was pointing straight up, and fired.

XXXXX

Crashing his elbow into his opponent's face, Bulat found himself unable to maintain Incursio any longer. Using the last of his teigu-induced strength, he grabbed the big man's belt with both hands and hurled him across the room. Next thing he knew, it seemed like somebody had fired off a barrel of fireworks inside the lounge, and then the water hit him, slamming his body to the ground. Holding his breath, it was all he could to hold on for dear life while it continued to pour down, gluing his normally spotless hair to his face. When it was finally over, he looked up to see the room filled with so much steam he could barely see his hands.

"Mine!" he shouted, his voice breaking. "Sayo!?"

"Don't mind us!" the marksman's voice came from somewhere to his left. "Help Akame!"

_Akame?_

XXXXX

Raising a hand to his head, Tatsumi tried to figure out just where the hell he was. A few second's ago, he'd been preparing to release Hermes so that he could finally get out of the damn pool, and now he was on his hands and knees in a room he didn't recognize, black and white smoke _everywhere! _

A shadow appeared to his left, and he prepped himself for another fight to the death, but it turned out to be Daidara, blood flowing down his grimacing face.

"Holy shit, am I glad to see you," the big man grunted, pulling him up by the arm. "I was starting to think I was the only one still alive."

"Where are the others?" Tatsumi demanded, still trying to keep his head from spinning.

"Nyau's dead. I don't know about the rest. Anyway, we gotta get out of here. As much as I hate running, this ship's going down and Night Raid has us outnumbered."

"You got that right, you ugly bastard!" a high-pitched voice snarled through the smoke. Tatsumi turned his head on instinct, his intention to search for its source.

"Watch out!" Daidara shouted, pushing him to the floor. A split-second later, Tatsumi heard the rattling of gunfire, and then a painful howl from Daidara. Finding the big man's hand, Tatsumi seized it without hesitation.

"Are you okay?"

"We gotta get out of here," Daidara repeated his voice barely audible.

Nodding, Tatsumi began pulling him through the smoke.

XXXXX

"No, Akame…" Bulat whispered, kneeling down beside the unmoving girl. She was lying with her face turned upward, her eyes closed, and her chest still.

Wasting no time on useless panic, Bulat pulled her up and held her to his chest, before squeezing her as hard as he could without breaking her. Just as he'd thought, water immediately began to flow out of her mouth, staining his jacket. Laying her back down, he brought his mouth to hers and blew, one time, two times, three times, and a fourth time.

"C'mon, girl," he whispered as he pulled back and began to pump his chest. "You're the strongest person I know, you can do this!"

He had no idea how long he kept at it. It might've been minutes or just a matter of seconds. It seemed to take so long that he was beginning to fear he was too late, but then a jolt went through her slender body, and her eyes flew open.

"Oh, thank God," Bulat sighed as she threw herself into the worst coughing fit he'd ever heard. In no way were they out of the woods yet though. Unless she got treatment–fast– her heart and lungs could still fail her.

"Hush," he said, lifting her up as gently as he could. "We're getting out of here."

"Murasame…"

"I got it," he said, fetching the sword, which had somehow managed to not be washed away. Making a brief stop to throw Sayo across his shoulder, he made his way out of the dampening room.

XXXXX

Tumbling out into fresh air at last, Tatsumi's heart sank as he saw that not a single lifeboat remained. They were all already on the water, or splintered to pieces. Looking down the side of the ship, he saw that the fire was spreading faster than ever.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Daidara muttered, grinning so weakly it had Tatsumi _seriously _worried. "Cannonball…"

"Shut up," Tatsumi said, desperately searching for options. They couldn't possibly jump from this height. With Hermes, he might make it, but there was no way Daidara would survive the fall.

"I know what you're thinking," the big man said. "Don't worry, I'm already dead." He pointed to his waist with a large finger, where his uniform had been ripped apart. His stomach twisting itself with dread, Tatsumi realized his ally was bleeding buckets.

"Not you too," he whispered, unable to believe that the prospect of losing _Daidara _of all people could instill such fear in him.

"It's just what I signed up for when I joined Esdeath-sama," the big man shrugged. "I don't have a right to complain, not really… I just wish I had lasted a bit longer than this…"

"You will," Tatsumi said fiercely, even as his companion was growing heavier by the second. "We'll get you off this boat and patched up in no time – I just… need to figure something out!" But even as the last word left his mouth, it was clear Daidara could barely hear him anymore.

"Just do me one favor, would you, pal? Tell Esdeath-sama… sorry I couldn't… her expectations…"

Like a dying candle, the big man's final breath was snuffed out. Unable to carry him anymore, Tatsumi had no choice but to let him slide to the ground. As he watched the blood run out of a man he had never considered a friend up until this very moment, Tatsumi wished, not for the first time, nor for the last, that he had never left his village. All this death and destruction… for what?

"Don't move."

Raising his head, he saw a girl dressed completely in pink point a ridiculously large rifle at him, her eyes poised on the trigger.

"Take it off," she said.

"What…?"

"The armor. Take it off, and hand it over–or I'll blast you like I did your friend."

Laughing like a man who had just been told he'd contracted the world's deadliest disease, Tatsumi raised his arms. "Go ahead. You'll be doing me a favor."

For a moment, the girl seemed puzzled, almost fascinated. Indeed, it was perhaps the most bizarre moment Tatsumi had experienced yet, standing on a burning ship, waiting for an assassin to give him something he suspected he'd been wanting for some time now. At this point, it wouldn't have surprised him if she had thrown her teigu aside and stepped forward to hug him.

She did not. Instead, she pulled the trigger, blasting him like she had Daidara.

XXXXX

As Mine watched her enemy fall into the water, his armor blasted to pieces, she couldn't stop this strange feeling from welling up inside her. It was almost like… she'd done something terrible, rather than avenge a friend. Shaking her head, she purged it from her mind. She couldn't afford such sentimental nonsense at a time like this. He was the enemy, and she had done what she had to. It was as simple as that.

A shadow fell across her, and she turned Pumpkin on the source. It turned out to be unnecessary though, as she recognized the familiar shape of Najenda's air manta.

"Boss!" she shouted, never so glad to see her leader and that complacent grin of hers.

"I thought I'd stay close by!" Najenda shouted, "Just in case you guys needed a quick exit!"

They were all there with her, Bulat, Sheele, Lubbock, Leone, the bumpkins, and…

"Akame!"

The dark-haired girl sent her a weak smile from her place in Bulat's protective arms. Oh, praise be to all that was holy.

_I made it. We all made it. _Feeling that kind of complete happiness one can only experience at the realization that you and all your loved ones have survived a terrible disaster, she walked forward to join her friends. Ironically, it was this exact happiness that kept her from noticing Najenda's expression changing from one of delight… to horror.

_BANG!_

The bullet reached her before the sound did, entering her back and cutting straight to her spine. Her legs lost all power. A soundless scream left her lips, heard by no one. At the edge of her vision, she saw a strange, caramel-haired girl laughing. One of her arms was gone.

Arms… yes. Sheele's arms lifting her up. Sheele's voice, telling her everything would be all right. Akame screaming. Najenda shouting. Pumpkin, still in her hand. Cold air against her face. No pain–that had already passed. Silence, except for the wind running through her hair, comforting her. Her vision growing darker at the corners. A strange warmth – enveloping her like a blanket.

How strange. She should be seeing her life flash before her eyes, but all she could see was that boy, the boy inside Hermes, only, he wasn't wearing Hermes at all. And even though she had not seen him without it, she could see him clearly.

His hair was brown and messy, and just the right length. His smile was wide and warm, like a welcoming home after a day spent walking in the snow. His eyes were emeralds, more precious than a hall full of gold. Indeed, they were undoubtedly the most beautiful thing she could have ever hoped to see.

Knowing this, Mine of Night Raid let her head fall back.

And died.

XXXXX

When Tatsumi opened his eyes, he knew he was no longer alive, because Run was looking down at him, smiling. So, the afterlife he had never fully believed in turned out to be the God-given truth. That, he never would have guessed.

"He's awake," he heard Run say, turning his head to look at something outside of Tatsumi's field of vision.

"Excellent," another voice answered, a known voice. River's voice. Wait, that couldn't be right. River had no business being in heaven! River wasn't good!

"Tatsumi, can you hear me?" Run said, working his hand under Tatsumi's neck.

"Yes," he answered, surprised at how weak his voice was. "Why is River here?"

"He got me out of the water, after the assassin ambushed us, and then he found you. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help you."

Water? Found him? Wait, did that mean…?

Pushing himself up, Tatsumi found himself on a stony beach, the night black as ink now. In front of him, in the distance, he could see the _Ryuusen_ burn brightly on the canal, half submerged now. River was watching it as well, standing a few meters away.

"I saw her kill you," Tatsumi said, placing a hand on Run's shoulder to reassure himself of the fact that he was real. "I saw her get you with that cursed sword."

"Oh, she got me alright," Run chuckled, summoning his teigu. One of the disks that the wings were fastened to had been broken nearly in half. "I was extremely lucky. A few centimeters to the side and, well, you obviously know what would have happened."

"Unbelievable," Tatsumi whispered, dragging his hand across the damaged teigu. At once, he was reminded of his brutal execution of the dark-haired assassin. Now that his friend was alive again, it sickened him to think of it.

"Look," Run said, and Tatsumi turned his gaze to see River wade out into the water. He disappeared beneath it for two or three minutes, before returning with a young girl slung across his back, and not just any young girl.

"I did it!" Seryu cackled, hugging Koro so tightly any normal dog would've chocked within a few seconds. "I did it, father! I destroyed the evil!"

Still laughing like a maniac, she didn't even react when River dumped her onto the shore. He looked almost as sick as Tatsumi felt.

"Holy God, her arm…" Run whispered, drawing Tatsumi's attention to the metallic monstrosity that had replaced one of her frontal limbs. "Who does that to themselves!?"

"A madman," Tatsumi said tiredly. He should have known it. There was something deeply wrong with that girl on a fundamental level.

"Nyau dead, Daidara dead, and the Imperial fleet's greatest treasure completely destroyed," River said, sinking down beside Tatsumi, looking like he'd aged twenty years since Tatsumi had seen him last. "We were utterly defeated."

"No," Tatsumi said as he heard the wind cry mournfully in the night. "I don't think _anyone _won today…"

XXXXX

**AN: And so this ridiculous mega-chapter concludes. Jeez, I didn't think it would get this long. Honestly, I would have liked to keep Nyau and Diadara alive a bit longer, but I figured that with an event like this, **_**somebody **_**had to die, and there was just no way I was going to kill off Seryu or Run this early. Anyway, exams are coming up so don't expect another update until we're way into December. **


End file.
